gerald wallace scores 26 in debut loss to wizards... also added 12 rebs and 5 assists

#1
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Antawn Jamison hit a floater in the lane with 6.8 seconds left in the second overtime to lead the Washington Wizards over the expansion Bobcats 126-125 Thursday night, spoiling Charlotte's return to the NBA.



Jarvis Hayes scored 31 points and Jamison had 20 for the Wizards, who dropped their first two preseason games. Anthony Peeler scored 19.

Gerald Wallace had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bobcats, the league's 30th franchise. Primoz Brezec had 26 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie Emeka Okafor -- the No. 2 pick in this year's draft -- had 18 points.

Jason Hart, who had 19 points, hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Charlotte to send the game to a second overtime. Hart missed a potential game-winning jumper after Jamison's go-ahead basket.

The game was played less than two years after the Hornets left for New Orleans, ending a 14-year run in Charlotte. That stint ended acrimoniously, but 9,948 fans attended the Bobcats' preseason opener.

The fans were quiet at the beginning, probably trying to figure out who's who for the orange-and-white-clad Bobcats, a team loaded with young and obscure players picked up in the expansion draft.

The crowd soon warmed to Wallace, who played in 138 games in three seasons in Sacramento, and the 7-foot-1 Brezec, who played in just 62 games in three seasons with Indiana.

Okafor, who led Connecticut to the national championship in April, hit 8-of-12 shots and had four rebounds. Washington's Larry Hughes sat out the game with a sore left knee, and fellow starter Gilbert Arenas left in the fourth quarter with a sprained right ankle.



GERALD PLAYED GREAT IN HIS DEBUT AS A BOBCAT WELL DONE!!...
 
5

50pts

Guest
#2
Im glad he did well. shows what players can do when given the chnace. just look at Primoz Brezec.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#4
Wallace could still turn out to be a significant regret for this franchise. On the other hand, when Primoz Brezec and Jarvis hayes are also tearing it up you have to wonder whether you are closer to a summer league game than a regular season game.
 
#5
Wallace also played 46 minutes. My questions about Gerald never were about his talent it was about his durability. For a 21/22 year old kid he gets hurt and stays hurt for a long time. If he can keep it up without getting injured then good for him.

Besides, the more I watch Kevin Martin play the more I like him better then Gerald anyway...
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#6
Ryle said:
Wallace also played 46 minutes. My questions about Gerald never were about his talent it was about his durability. For a 21/22 year old kid he gets hurt and stays hurt for a long time. If he can keep it up without getting injured then good for him.

Besides, the more I watch Kevin Martin play the more I like him better then Gerald anyway...
Haven't been blown away by Martin as of yet. He's more polished, but far less forceful. But its early yet.
 
#7
Bricklayer said:
Haven't been blown away by Martin as of yet. He's more polished, but far less forceful. But its early yet.
Are you judging by the Houston game? He was far more impressive/forceful in the Golden State game. I'd expect him to be a little inconsistent early on. IMO, he will turn out to be a far better FIT for this franchise than Gerald. Charlotte is a great opportunity for Wallace, I hope he makes the most of it, but I don't think he could have developed here like he will have the chance to there.
 
#9
Nice game for GWall!

Some said that if he only had more playing time, this kid would show what his potentials are. I'm just a bit sad that he wasn't able to show it in a Kings' uniform.
 

HndsmCelt

Hall of Famer
#10
Glad to see G Wall doing well. He amy be abig fish in asmall ond but this move was vital for his career. Keeping him on the roster would have been nice but just not practicle. all tings being even I'dsay this was almost a win win win situation.Kings lost no key palyers, and G Wall is getting th etime he needs to show case his tallent.
 

CruzDude

Senior Member sharing a brew with bajaden
#11
Kevin vs. Gerald

Kingsgurl said:
Are you judging by the Houston game? He was far more impressive/forceful in the Golden State game. I'd expect him to be a little inconsistent early on. IMO, he will turn out to be a far better FIT for this franchise than Gerald. Charlotte is a great opportunity for Wallace, I hope he makes the most of it, but I don't think he could have developed here like he will have the chance to there.
Gerald is starting. Kevin is playing behind starters who have already been to the conference finals. Big difference. I agree with Kingsgurl, the circumstances are far different between the two. Just wait a bit. :cool:
 
#12
Great game for Wallace. Good to hear that and hope that he has many more like this one. We will always look at the past and think abt this like him being traded, but that was the best decision at that time.
 
G

godsthename

Guest
#17
Geralds the man!!!!I am glad hes getting a chance with the bobcats. Its just to bad the kings didnt give him much of a chance. Hes been one of my favorite players for along time. I just cant wait till he throws it down on someone.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#18
Geoff said:
^^ what he said. I mean, who's minutes was he going to take?
Well, Peeler's would have been nice. We really needed a strong backup swingman last year.

We'll have to see with Gerald, but if he even blossoms to no more than the level of a Desmond Mason, we'll regret letting him go.
 
#19
Bricklayer said:
Well, Peeler's would have been nice. We really needed a strong backup swingman last year.

We'll have to see with Gerald, but if he even blossoms to no more than the level of a Desmond Mason, we'll regret letting him go.
Completely agree, as a younger Desmond Mason type is what we are looking for to replace Doug Christie. GW's stats vs. the Nets weren't terrible, either. Poor shooting night (4-13 I think), but he got to the line 10 times and made 9 free throws.
 
#22
I don't understand how Kings coaching management didn't see what everyone else saw in Wallace. I thought they were complaining about back up for Pedja, etc, etc. Wallace would have been perfect. There has got to be something that we don't know about, e.g. work ethic problems or personal issues.
 
#24
But I only remember hearing that here (on this site) and in one Voison article (if I remember correctly).

Frankly, neither of those are very good sources.
 
#25
mcsluggo said:
But I only remember hearing that here (on this site) and in one Voison article (if I remember correctly).

Frankly, neither of those are very good sources.
:lol: I remember hearing a lot of this from Voison and this site only.
 

HndsmCelt

Hall of Famer
#27
Things to remember about Wallace as a King:
1. He was given significant play time early last season, and was inconsitant at best.
2. During the best night of his career with the Kings he took himself out of the game beceause he felt a cramp "comming on."
3. Someone with a contract had to be left unprotected, so If you were to Keep Wallace who exactly do you leave unprotected? (No this is NOT an invitation to re-open the topic of leaving Webber unprotected, just go back to that old thread if you must)
4. With Pedja playing at his career best, compleetly healthy and averaging 35-40 min a game, his back up becomes one of the most expendable guys on the roster.
5. yes I agree we have no idea if there were any other issues, but from my seat it does not matter. Not that I would WANT to get rid of Wallace, but he becomes the logical choice since someone HAD to go.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#28
Like I said, Wallace is this year's chance at a Kings regret. The Kings (read Petrie) have actually done a remarkable job in never, during our current run, having traded away a player who blossomed into something great and made us look like fools. Abdul-Wahad, Corliss, Barry, Hedo, Pollard etc. have all gone on to either duplicate their efforts as Kings, or fade away. But so far we haven't tossed a guy aside only to have them turn into a mega-stud that we had somehow missed.

But Wallace still has a chance to make us look dumb. As I mentioned, if he turns into nothing more than a loew teens scorer with hustle and athleticism, it will be a real blow having lost him as our primary little guys age. But we'll see I guess.

P.S. -- I actually think the rumors about Gerald's work ethic ran deeper than Voison. I recall going all the way back to Gerald's rookie year the coaching staff being very coy about whether he was a hard worker or not. it was there is what they did not say, and in reading between the lines. I strongly suspect it came down to a guy who worked hard on the court, but simply was not mature enough/dedicated enough to go out and shoot 1000 jumpers a day, or wahtever it would have taken to straighten that thing out. Of course personally I believe that we as a team have gotten TOO jumper-focused, as if that's all there is to basketball. But nonetheless I always had the feeling that the coaches didn't feel like he was truly busting his butt off court.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#29
I remarked more than once that when Wallace was on the court, he sometimes looked as if he just wasn't paying close attention.

I liked Gerald - his athleticism, his smile, etc. But we made the right choice in exposing him to the draft.

If he succeeds in Charlotte, I'll be happy for him. But, for a variety of reasons, including some touched on by Celt, I don't think Wallace would ever have flourished in Sacramento.

Just as we have been the catalyst for players like Bobby to come into their own, it's quite possible Charlotte could be the motivating factor for Gerald. I hope it is...

Either way, I don't think it will make Sacramento look dumb because I don't think he made the best of the situation while he was here.
 
#30
I think the fact that we have a viable option playing 40 minutes a night, going to All-Star games every year, coming close to leading the League in scoring and even getting MVP votes... I think all that gives us a free pass to let go of a "potentially" solid player in the NBA. I mean, I was just as high on Gerald and letting him develop behind Peja as the next guy was; I was torn last offseason between keeping JJ and giving some more time to Gerald as the biggest Gerald fan was. But even if he does turn into a stud, he didn't make the best of his opportunity to break into the rotation while he was here. He was constantly hurt, he never really showed effort to improve his jumpshot or his free throw shooting, and although he played hard, he just didn't seem to 'get it', if you know what I mean.

Basically, Gerald being gone wasn't really something that I think we could have done much about, I don't think. And if he does happen to turn into a stud, it won't matter because we have our own stud playing that same position. And if I had to choose between Peja and Gerald, well, I don't lose any sleep over picking Peja. Sorry.