This year’s NBA offseason was filled with good acquisitions for several teams. There was the Toronto Raptors acquiring Hedo Turkaglou, the Cleveland Cavaliers picking up Shaquille O’Neil, the Orlando Magic getting Vince Carter, and the defending Los Angeles Lakers landing the fiery Ron Artest.
But to me, none of those offseason moves were as good as the Boston Celtics picking up Rasheed Wallace.
My reasoning is simple: Wallace brings things to the table that make the Celtics not only my pick to win the East, but also to win NBA championship. Wallace is not getting any younger; however he can still play at a high level if his minutes are managed properly by head coach Doc Rivers. Wallace is still one of the deadliest three point shooters in the league, and he will get many chances to knock down open three’s running the screen game with Rajon Rondo, who is one of the best point guards in the league.
Not only will the Celtics reap the benefits of Wallace’s offensive game, but have also added a terrific defender to a team that is already one of the best defensive teams in the league, and we have seen that Celtics are even better defensive now with Wallace added to mix.
But the best part of the Celtics picking up Rasheed Wallace is the fact that he will be coming off the bench. With a starting lineup of Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins, and Kevin Garnett, Wallace will be a key part of the Boston Celtics bench. He will be able to provide relief to Garnet, which will be a very important concept early in the season as Garnett tries to get the feeling back in knee that caused him to miss out on the playoffs last season. The addition of Wallace will allow Doc Rivers to give Garnett rest, and he will not have to worry about his team’s offensive production faltering, and Wallace will certainly be a more than capable man to hold down the low post defensively while Garnet is on the bench.
I truly believe that the Boston Celtics made themselves ten times better with the acquisition of Wallace this offseason . They are now to me the best team in the Eastern Conference (sorry Orlando). They have the best bench in the league, and will have the offensive firepower to put points on the scoreboard at a very high pace, and have the defensive team that can just shut other teams down. To me, the Boston Celtics acquisition of Rasheed Wallace this offseason is the biggest addition to any team in the NBA.
But only time will tell.
