Wallace might return, but probably not to Boston

Share

BOSTONAs reported by Yahoo! Sports, former Boston Celtic Rasheed Wallace is giving some thought to making a return to the NBA.

But don't get your hopes up, Celtics fans.

A league source told CSNNE.com Thursday night that Wallace will give the Celtics some consideration, but "he's going to look at all his options" before making any decision.

From the C's standpoint, adding Wallace would involve releasing a player with the Celtics roster now at 15 players with the recent addition of Mickael Pietrus.

Rookie center Greg Stiemsma might wind up being the odd man out if Wallace returns.

The only player kept around from the group of training camp invitees, Stiemsma's contract won't become fully guaranteed until next month.

If the C's were to bring Wallace back and decided to keep Stiemsma, they would then most likely release Sasha Pavlovic.

An Eastern Conference executive told CSNNE.com that the biggest concern with Wallace now is no different than it was when he played -- conditioning.

"Guys like Rasheed, with his skills, his game won't totally fall apart just like that," the executive said. "But you have to wonder, how much can he give you right away? And how long will it take him to get not just in shape, but basketball shape? I suspect whatever team he goes to, if he does come back, will be a team that won't need him to come in and make an impact right away."

And that, maybe more than anything else, makes the odds of him coming back to Boston longer than you might think.

With all the problems the C's are having this year with their bigs, Celtics coach Doc Rivers would look to get Wallace on the floor as quick as possible unless trainer Ed Lacerte tells him otherwise.

If you're Wallace, that might not necessarily be what you want, right now.

One thing is clear.

Based on how the C's have fared thus far this season, adding him to their current stable of bigs wouldn't hurt.

Contact Us