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Starter
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13916635p-14754918c.html
The one-time promising Kings forward returns to Sacramento a new ballplayer
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
His skill level has now come within view of his athleticism. And what a sight. Gerald Wallace has arrived. Proof came Monday morning, when one of the NBA's emerging stat-sheet fillers practically had to be cornered and pulled off the Arco Arena floor after practice. He learned that he had become the first player in Charlotte Bobcats history to be named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. And the swingman they call "Crash," with little regard for life or limb in pursuit of the ball, had to be reminded by teammates to walk off the floor - please! - to not dive onto the bus that was headed back to the hotel. It's OK to tone it down a bit in high-tops even with a bit of great news. "He's our crash-test dummy, the guy who takes a licking, keeps on ticking, then gets into the next car and crashes again, like taking on the next opponent," Charlotte guard Brevin Knight said. "He's playing like an All-Star."
You remember Wallace, G.W., or as Kings teammates used to say, "Half man, half astounding." As dynamic and emphatic of an athlete to ever pull on Sacramento colors, Wallace wowed the consumer and teased his bosses with his above-the-rim play, the way he'd barrel into the seats, how he'd snatch a rebound and pound up the floor. But there were only glimpses. He tried to fit in at the wrong time. A 2001 Kings draftee, Wallace was a youngster stuck on a veteran-laden roster, when the Kings rolled out the deepest club in the league. He lasted just three seasons and 138 games of raw potential. With a struggling bench now, it can be argued that the Kings should have been more patient with the 6-foot-7 flyer, to find a way to keep him, to make him work out the kinks in his game. He was left unprotected for the expansion draft before last season because there were no other bodies to expose. Kings players and coaches were constantly on Wallace to expand his game to get on the same page on defense in practice and actual contests. Wallace said the lessons sunk. Still do.
The Bobcats snatched him up, desperate for players and hustle guys because they knew well that hustle and entertainment value help when you're an underdog every time out.
Wallace said the Kings "did me a favor" by exposing him to Charlotte.
Wallace has found his place in Charlotte. He found his minutes last season (nearly 31 a game) when he averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. But his shot was still a mess. His dribbling caused coaches to wince and look away. This campaign? Much better, all across the board, with coach Bernie Bickerstaff offering this sage advice on how to elevate his game past that of just a dunker: Work even harder, son. Every single day.
Wallace understands now. He said he's matured in that part of his game the most, that work ethic makes the player, not hops and quicks.
His numbers back him up. Wallace leads the Bobcats in scoring with 18.5 points a game, never mind that the club runs no offensive sets for him. He scores on will and desire, putbacks, steals and alley-oops. He regularly receives standing ovations at home, a blue-collar guy in a blue-collar region. Three times this season, he has scored his team's first points off a steal and dunk. He is pulling in 7.4 rebounds a night, he is third in the NBA in field-goal percentage ( 57) and he leads the NBA in steals average with 2.56 a game. And most telling: The Bobcats are 4-4 with Wallace in the lineup and 1-5 without.
Teammate Kareem Rush calls Wallace the team MVP. Said Bickerstaff: "He's been terrific for us. As an athlete, he's off the charts. He's up there with anyone in the league. He's really starting to emerge. He knew he had to work on his game to get better and he has." In the three games since his return from a chipped bone in his right (shooting) wrist, Wallace garnered his NBA honor by averaging 22.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 3.3 blocked shots.
He looks like the same Wallace, but it's a totally different guy. Wallace played in just 37 games his final Sacramento season, averaging nine minutes, missing some games due to ailments and sitting others because he hadn't earned the minutes.
"Gerald's still young at 23, and he knows he can still improve as long as he works," Kings assistant Elston Turner said. "We challenged him here all the time. We'd work hard every day in practice for two hours, and some guys would still work on their shot. Sometimes he'd already be in the shower. He's bought into it. You know he's improved and worked because when he first got here, he couldn't take a shot without falling down."
The man whom Kings president Geoff Petrie deemed "a world-class athlete" on draft day 2001 is plying his trade far from here, talking about how he has found his comfort zone. He has a new house. He's no longer one-dimensional. He can get better.
Petrie laughed when he anticipated that there would be some second-guessing. It's part of the business. Players come and go. "He certainly looks like he's emerging as a quality player," Petrie said Monday. "He got into a situation where he got a lot of minutes. Our preference was to not have anyone exposed, but that was a decision we made. I'm happy for him." In Sacramento, Wallace said he was giddy, glad to be along for the shotgun ride deep into the Western Conference playoffs. He said the experience of watching and learning helped, even if it gnawed at him that he didn't get more minutes. "Sacramento was great for me," he said in his familiar baritone. "I was on a team with great players like Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson, and all I could really do was see what they did. It was hard to get into games with all those guys. I was only 18 and 19 years old. It wasn't the Kings' fault that they let me go. I needed to be somewhere where I could grow."
The one-time promising Kings forward returns to Sacramento a new ballplayer
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
His skill level has now come within view of his athleticism. And what a sight. Gerald Wallace has arrived. Proof came Monday morning, when one of the NBA's emerging stat-sheet fillers practically had to be cornered and pulled off the Arco Arena floor after practice. He learned that he had become the first player in Charlotte Bobcats history to be named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. And the swingman they call "Crash," with little regard for life or limb in pursuit of the ball, had to be reminded by teammates to walk off the floor - please! - to not dive onto the bus that was headed back to the hotel. It's OK to tone it down a bit in high-tops even with a bit of great news. "He's our crash-test dummy, the guy who takes a licking, keeps on ticking, then gets into the next car and crashes again, like taking on the next opponent," Charlotte guard Brevin Knight said. "He's playing like an All-Star."
You remember Wallace, G.W., or as Kings teammates used to say, "Half man, half astounding." As dynamic and emphatic of an athlete to ever pull on Sacramento colors, Wallace wowed the consumer and teased his bosses with his above-the-rim play, the way he'd barrel into the seats, how he'd snatch a rebound and pound up the floor. But there were only glimpses. He tried to fit in at the wrong time. A 2001 Kings draftee, Wallace was a youngster stuck on a veteran-laden roster, when the Kings rolled out the deepest club in the league. He lasted just three seasons and 138 games of raw potential. With a struggling bench now, it can be argued that the Kings should have been more patient with the 6-foot-7 flyer, to find a way to keep him, to make him work out the kinks in his game. He was left unprotected for the expansion draft before last season because there were no other bodies to expose. Kings players and coaches were constantly on Wallace to expand his game to get on the same page on defense in practice and actual contests. Wallace said the lessons sunk. Still do.
The Bobcats snatched him up, desperate for players and hustle guys because they knew well that hustle and entertainment value help when you're an underdog every time out.
Wallace said the Kings "did me a favor" by exposing him to Charlotte.
Wallace has found his place in Charlotte. He found his minutes last season (nearly 31 a game) when he averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. But his shot was still a mess. His dribbling caused coaches to wince and look away. This campaign? Much better, all across the board, with coach Bernie Bickerstaff offering this sage advice on how to elevate his game past that of just a dunker: Work even harder, son. Every single day.
Wallace understands now. He said he's matured in that part of his game the most, that work ethic makes the player, not hops and quicks.
His numbers back him up. Wallace leads the Bobcats in scoring with 18.5 points a game, never mind that the club runs no offensive sets for him. He scores on will and desire, putbacks, steals and alley-oops. He regularly receives standing ovations at home, a blue-collar guy in a blue-collar region. Three times this season, he has scored his team's first points off a steal and dunk. He is pulling in 7.4 rebounds a night, he is third in the NBA in field-goal percentage ( 57) and he leads the NBA in steals average with 2.56 a game. And most telling: The Bobcats are 4-4 with Wallace in the lineup and 1-5 without.
Teammate Kareem Rush calls Wallace the team MVP. Said Bickerstaff: "He's been terrific for us. As an athlete, he's off the charts. He's up there with anyone in the league. He's really starting to emerge. He knew he had to work on his game to get better and he has." In the three games since his return from a chipped bone in his right (shooting) wrist, Wallace garnered his NBA honor by averaging 22.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 3.3 blocked shots.
He looks like the same Wallace, but it's a totally different guy. Wallace played in just 37 games his final Sacramento season, averaging nine minutes, missing some games due to ailments and sitting others because he hadn't earned the minutes.
"Gerald's still young at 23, and he knows he can still improve as long as he works," Kings assistant Elston Turner said. "We challenged him here all the time. We'd work hard every day in practice for two hours, and some guys would still work on their shot. Sometimes he'd already be in the shower. He's bought into it. You know he's improved and worked because when he first got here, he couldn't take a shot without falling down."
The man whom Kings president Geoff Petrie deemed "a world-class athlete" on draft day 2001 is plying his trade far from here, talking about how he has found his comfort zone. He has a new house. He's no longer one-dimensional. He can get better.
Petrie laughed when he anticipated that there would be some second-guessing. It's part of the business. Players come and go. "He certainly looks like he's emerging as a quality player," Petrie said Monday. "He got into a situation where he got a lot of minutes. Our preference was to not have anyone exposed, but that was a decision we made. I'm happy for him." In Sacramento, Wallace said he was giddy, glad to be along for the shotgun ride deep into the Western Conference playoffs. He said the experience of watching and learning helped, even if it gnawed at him that he didn't get more minutes. "Sacramento was great for me," he said in his familiar baritone. "I was on a team with great players like Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson, and all I could really do was see what they did. It was hard to get into games with all those guys. I was only 18 and 19 years old. It wasn't the Kings' fault that they let me go. I needed to be somewhere where I could grow."
).
My memory may be betraying me, but I seem to recall you being very much of the "don't let the door hit you..." sentiment. 
