You knew this would come up. You knew at some point the Celtics would have a couple injuries and lose a couple games and the rumors would start again. So let me reiterate the stance that I took back in November. There's still no need for Sheed.
For those that missed it, Stephen A Smith claims that Rasheed Wallace told him that "the plan" is for him to return to the Celtics.
To recap, here are some reasons to say "thanks, but no thanks Rasheed:"
- There are no reports of him actually working out. In fact, the only reports mentioning his conditioning seem to indicate that he hasn't been working out "in any capacity." Considering the shape he came in when he was a big ticket free agent signing, ...well I'm very skeptical.
- Danny Ainge stated "I’m not sure there’s room for Rasheed unless we just have a whole bunch of injuries." He thinks that the guard position is the larger need right now.
- As Paul Flannery points out, our roster is full and we just guaranteed the contracts of Delonte West and Von Wafer. Unless a trade is made, we'd have to cut someone to add Sheed.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have any ill feelings towards Rasheed Wallace. Despite the regular season malaise, he earned his keep in the playoffs and performed admirably even in the Finals. But that is a good word for it - final. There was a real finality to his retirement. He tried to make his peace with the officials, he told everyone that he was retiring, and he held off making it official to help Danny shop his contract around the league before ultimately hanging it up. I tip my cap to him but I don't see any need to bring him back.
If anything, I am enjoying the Shaq era. He's the anti-Sheed in terms of shot selection. You'll never have to convince Shaq to stop taking 3 pointers and get on the block. He's played defense well enough and though is production has slipped a little bit lately I don't think he's here to be leaned on offensively. He's played to his role and he's been reasonably healthy. As long as Jermaine O'Neal can maintain some degree of health, then I'm still pretty confident in our big man rotation moving forward.