clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Gerald Wallace feels out of place in Boston

The end of this article contains a very minor Breaking Bad spoiler (from season five, episode three).

"Danny, please trade me. I'm begging you."
"Danny, please trade me. I'm begging you."
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Gerald Wallace just doesn't have a filter. The disgruntled 31-year-old forward shared with the Boston Herald that his transition to the Celtics has been very difficult. "It's like starting from scratch zero," he says, "To have to start all over on a team that's starting from scratch is very difficult."

Ouch. I can't help but feel sorry for the guy.

Crash spent the prime in his career stuck with the Charlotte Bobcats, where he won only 38 percent of his games, and made the playoffs only once. That playoff "run" wasn't anything more than a trip, fall, and disqualification at the starting line, since the superior Orlando Magic swept the Bobcats.

Poor Gerald. I really do feel sorry for him. Boston is in a similar situation that Charlotte was in (and still is), so he wants to get out of this place. He won't exactly say it, but if you read between the lines, it's obvious. This great song by The Animals reminds me of how Gerald must be feeling:

Wallace mentioned to the Boston Herald that he doesn't like to be traded, but went on to say: "I don't like to be traded. You know, once I get a place where I'm comfortable, I just want to know what's expected of me and what my role is. For a guy that goes out and puts 110 percent of himself into it, you're giving your all and you just want to know that."

Crash says he doesn't like to be traded...once he gets comfortable. But he isn't comfortable in Boston yet, right? So right now he does want to be traded, but he won't ask for one. If he doesn't feel cozy in February, will he ask for a trade?

Probably.

But I don't think Gerald realizes that even if he did want to be traded, it won't be so easy. He's due to make over $30 million dollars over the course of the next three years, and it won't be easy for any team to take on that kind of salary. Throughout the course of the year, he'll have to prove himself as an impact player, and only then will a contending team have interest in him.

No, it doesn't end there. Here's where I begin to get frustrated with Gerald Wallace. He then goes on to talk about Brad Stevens and his transition from college to the NBA. He says, "The thing is, the season starts so fast. It's more like learning on the job. It's not like college where you have that time to get to work as a team and grow and understand and see your players."

And just to make sure it doesn't sound like he's taking a shot at Stevens, Wallace explains, "In fairness to coach Stevens, he's having to watch during the season to figure out his rotations and what guys like to do and how they play. I mean, that's tough because these games actually count."

Yeah, at some point, you just have to shut up and not talk to the media about these topics. I think this terrific moment from season five of Breaking Bad sums up how a lot of readers might be feeling right about now:

Do you feel better? I hope so. You can thank Anna Gunn for that terrific explosion of energy; it helped her win her first Emmy.

Seriously though, I totally see where Gerald Wallace is coming from. He's right about the Celtics, because he is wise enough to see that this team is built to lose. The pieces don't fit together and he's seen it plenty of times with the Bobcats. The writing is on the wall and this team isn't going to win a championship anytime soon, which is the main thing he cares about accomplishing.

But it'd be nice if he kept things away from the media, don't you think? Destructive comments made to the media can destroy the comradely in a locker room. Either players will get annoyed with him making comments, or the media will begin to question every player and coach about him, which will only make them question Wallace's trustworthiness.

Yet, Wallace says all of these comments are intended to help his teammates. "I was told when I came here to be more of a leader. I can understand that, but my personality . . . I'm not an outspoken, outgoing, in-your-face kind of player. I kind of lead by example out on the court, going out and giving my all." He goes on to say, "Being in this situation is new for me in trying to be vocal and trying to speak to guys. I'm trying to do that to the best of my ability, but I'm still trying to see how to approach guys."

But talking to the media about the team's problems is the last thing a player should ever do. Instead, tell a specific player they need to hustle more, and explain to them that it'll help them become a great player. Try to offer suggestions to Brad Stevens on how some of his former coaches prepared for specific situations. Just don't tell the media; it's creates unnecessary noise in the locker room.

To be fair, I understand Gerald Wallace wants to get out of this place because he has experienced too much losing throughout his career. But whether or not he honestly admits it, he needs to learn that things won't get better unless he begins to lead both on the court and off of it.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Celtics Blog Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Boston Celtics news from Celtics Blog