Rasheed Wallace has been the whipping boy for everything that's wrong with the Celtics; lazy, lack of focus, wait-til-the-playoffs attitude, etc...
But has he really had that bad a season? The answer is yes, according to Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com:
Atlanta: 40.2% FG, 28.5% 3-point FG, 50% FT
Cleveland: 32.0% FG
Orlando: 39.5 FG, 22.2% 3-point FG, 50% FT
Denver: 40.0% FG, 0.0% 3-point FG
Lakers: 21.4% FG, 16.7% 3-point FG, 3.5 PPG
Dallas: 38.5% FG, 0.0% 3-point FG, -3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio
Brutal. Think those numbers should earn 23 minutes of playing time a night?
But wait, there's more:
Rasheed Wallace has attempted 257 3-pointers this season, 35th in the NBA. That number, by the way, is more than Larry Bird ever attempted in any season of his career. Wallace has made 73 of those 3-pointers, or 28.4 percent. That number ranks dead last among the 123 players qualified for the league lead in that category. He's also averaging the same amount of rebounds (4.1) as 3-point attempts, which is exactly what you want from a power forward doubling as the worst 3-point shooter in the league.
So, he's been the worst 3-point shooter in the NBA this season. OK, that's life. He is 35 years old, after all. But here's where it gets a little strange. The worst 3-point shooter in the league, having the worst shooting season of his career, is firing 3's at a career-high pace. It's true. In 2009-10 Wallace has taken a 3-pointer an average of once every 5.6 minutes on the floor. For his career he's averaged one every 11.5 minutes. How does this make any sense?
Tough to argue with those stats. After all, ball don't lie.
