By
Kamy Shaygan
He's arguably the most talented player in the NBA. He's arguably the most intense player in the NBA. He's not Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal or Chris Webber.
He's Rasheed Wallace.
Portland Trail Blazer forward Wallace, aka 'Sheed, has been ridiculed of late for supposedly having a poor attitude and not being a team player. Because Wallace, who can play the low-post or the perimeter, has an all-time NBA record of 41 technical fouls this season, critics have an excuse to speak negatively of him.
Since when is being intense a bad thing? For years, so-called "good guys" in sports have been allowed to be intense on the field of play. 'Sheed, who refuses to bow to any public pressure, is seen as a punk with an attitude.
'Sheed, my man, don't listen to them.
I find it refreshing to see an athlete that actually cares nowadays. 'Sheed puts his heart and soul into games, something very few athletes do. What most athletes care about is how much money they are making and when their homes are going to be featured on MTV's "Cribs."
Look at guys like Mike Piazza. The dude strikes out, but walks back to the dugout blowing bubbles. It's like he doesn't care! Piazza, though, gets praised as a team player.
As fans, we want players that actually care about their sport and show emotion. 'Sheed is not only a team player, but he is a special talent. Wallace plays in the Western Conference, which is known for its exceptional big men. He abuses guys like Chris Webber, Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess on a nightly basis. But yet he's being clowned for getting too many technical fouls.
Who gives a damn? The man brings an intensity that no other forward can match.
Wallace's numbers are slightly lower than the other marquee players in the Western Conference, but that is because he plays for Portland, arguably the deepest team in the NBA.
When you have former Wildcat Damon Stoudamire, Bonzi Wells, Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis, Shawn Kemp, Steve Smith, Rod Strickland, Dale Davis and Greg Anthony on your team, it's hard to put up Duncan or Webber's numbers.
Although Webber and Duncan are phenomenal low-post players, they can't pop the three-ball. Wallace has proven that not only can he play the low-post as well as anyone in the NBA, he can step back from behind the arc and drain shots. He's the best one-on-one power forward in the league. Period.
The latest 'Sheed incident is ridiculous. During last Sunday's possible playoff preview against the Los Angeles Lakers, Wallace threw a towel in teammate Sabonis' face during a timeout.
Wallace got suspended for a game because of the incident.
For those of you that watched the game, you saw that Sabonis deserved to get the towel thrown in his face. As Lakers center O'Neal backed in on Sabonis, the Lithuanian native flopped back to try to draw the foul, knocking Wallace in the face with his abnormally large arms.
So what if he threw a towel? He was fired up and wasn't afraid to show his frustration. He shouldn't be ridiculed for his reaction.
He should be praised for his intensive competive nature.
Instead of not caring, Wallace showed his emotion on the sidelines.
The bottom line is that Wallace wants to win and he's willing to do whatever it takes to do so.
He can play on my team any day.
