'Sheed

I admit I am something of a fan-boy of former Portland Trailblazer / current Detroit Piston Rasheed Wallace. He also played for the Washington Bullets, but I'm sure he'd agree there's no reason to dwell on that.

Why? Let me count the ways. Because I am a sucker for players who play outside the conventional boundaries of their position -- he's the size of a forward-center who can also hit from three-point range. Because he has a complete game, offense and defense, inside and outside. Because he always wants the ball in high-pressure situations, and often comes through in these situations. Because he actually cares about the outcome of the silly basketball games in which he plays.

Curiously, the latter is the reason so many people profess to hate him. He still holds a handful of NBA records for technical fouls, and often spends inordinate amounts of time jawing at the refs and other players. His critics would seem to want him to just motion his way through the games, not give a damn about bad calls or cheats, and collect a huge check for his trouble. And these same critics, in other moods and settings, complain that NBA players just play for money. At best, they would seem to want a league full of Tim Duncans. Tim Duncan is a tremendous player, but an NBA filled with Tim Duncans would be insanely dull. (It's already perilously close.)

I have something of a man-crush on Rasheed Wallace because he shows personality; he doesn't just play, he plays along, and this helps me participate in the intended illusion, the one that says I am not completely wasting the time I spend watching grown men throw a leather ball. I also like him because once in a while -- not often, mind you, and never when it really counts -- he lets his cynicism get the better of him and 'checks out' physically and mentally, and I can relate to that too. He's mercurial, just like a real person. He has skill and he has depth. He wears a square number. What else is there to want from a basketball player?