From Zero To Infinity, Whatever: On "Professor Wallace..."

You might remember that last season, we started getting glimpses into just how deep a student of the basketball Rasheed Wallace is. Apart from being hailed as the "missing piece" to a championship core, apart from winning a ring with stifling defense under the tutelage of Larry "Right Way" Brown, and apart from willing himself range on his jumper to the three point line with nothing but good old fashioned mechanics and practice, Wallace has exhibited seemingly boundless potential to be anything he wanted. Some of us might have been taken aback when Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith insisting that he has the tools to be the best player in the league, but it was only corroborated by continued reports that we've only scratched the surface of his ultimate skill and knowledge of his craft.

We shouldn't be surprised. Sheed's personal transformation from "bad seed" with the Jailblazers to a legitimately lovable "peoples' champ" came through the force of a personality that exudes nothing less than total love of and devotion to the game in every second he's on the court. But this season, he might just be able to demonstrate a feat unlike any other in not only his career, but also besting every other effort of its type in the history of professional basketball.



Rasheed Wallace might actually help turn Kwame Feaking Brown into an adequate National Basketball Association player.

Since the trade of Antonio McDyess in the Iverson deal, it hasn't been Amir and Maxiell making the biggest strides in their contribution to the Pistons re-evolving style, but rather the arguable bust of the decade, Mr. Brown. Instead of a 7-foot stiff with the concrete mitts and woodblock head, we're seeing an imposing Brown playing at PF, blocking the lane and a good number of the shots that come his way, averaging better than 1 per since the Nuggets deal. A couple of days ago, he had a double-double against the Lakers team that he utterly failed time and time again with horribly inconsistent play and an uncanny ability to shrink in big-games, drop the softest hand-off pass, or brick the easiest lay-up for failure of the mental fortitude to just dunk the damned basketball.

I'm not saying he'll be an All-Star or deliver on even a fraction of the potential that we once believed he could possess, but I believe that he can carve out a niche as a solid role player for 20 minutes a game of good defense down low. If Brown ends up a half-way decent baller and it is proven to be in fact Sheed's doing, if he is able to succeed in rebuilding the broken shards of Kwame's psyche and wringing from the man-child useful contributions to a contending team, then GMs should be lining up to heap upon him virgins and gold and head coaching offers immediately upon his retirement.

And if Walter Hermann goes off for 50 points at any point this season, you can bet on a huddle shot of Sheed with a clipboard and an approving, knowing nod.