Getty Rasheed Wallace
According to a July 25 report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Rasheed Wallace won’t be joining new Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham’s staff. Charania reported on June 6 that Wallace “was recently identified as a candidate for Ham’s staff.”
Ham and Wallace won the 2004 championship together on the Detroit Pistons, but Wallace won’t be in Los Angeles next season and an NBA champion and Hall of Famer is confused.
15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, who won the 2008 championship with the Boston Celtics, took to social media after seeing the Wallace news. The one-time Defensive Player of the Year thought Wallace joining the Lakers “was a great hire.”
Wallace served as an assistant coach under former NBA star Penny Hardaway at the University of Memphis last season. The four-time All-Star appeared in 1,109 regular-season games with the Washington Bullets, Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Pistons, Celtics and New York Knicks during his playing career and averaged 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Garnett Was Thrilled About Wallace Joining Lakers
On June 11, Garnett talked about why he was so thrilled Wallace was joining the Lakers. The Big Ticket was convinced that Sheed would have been great for LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“My dog Sheed Wallace on the bench with big Ham. I think this is great for this Laker team,” Garnett said on KG Certified. “I think Anthony Davis needs an influence that he can have. Someone in his ear. Listen, Rasheed Wallace is one of the best f***in’ power forwards and players to ever play in our league. He’s full of knowledge. He hasn’t shared that knowledge with the world, but I talk basketball with him several times. He is nothing below a genius and a mastermind when it comes to the block. He understands everything about both ends of the ball when it comes to scoring and also defending. I think he’s gonna be great for Anthony Davis. I think he’s gonna be great for LeBron James. I think he’s gonna be great for this Laker team. Straight up and down.”
It’s unknown why Wallace, 47, won’t be on Ham’s staff next season. Per Lakers.com, Ham, Phil Handy, Dru Anthrop and Jon Pastorek are currently the coaches in Los Angeles.
Bleacher Report: Wallace Could Have Provided Lakers Energy
On June 13, Bleacher Report’s Tim Daniels wrote that Wallace could have provided the Lakers energy, something they lacked last season. Now, Los Angeles will need to find another assistant coach who can challenge and uplift the players on a consistent basis.
“It was clear throughout the 2021-22 season, which saw the Lakers miss the playoffs with a 33-49 record, that the franchise could use an infusion of energy. Things have trended consistently in the wrong direction since they captured the 2020 NBA title,” Daniels wrote on June 13. “Wallace should provide that. He was a fiery competitor throughout a 16-year NBA career that included four All-Star selections and a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.”
The Lakers used their available cap space on multiple players this summer. They signed Juan Toscano-Anderson, Troy Brown Jr., Lonnie Walker IV, Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant.
Los Angeles’ roster is currently made up of James, Davis, Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, Wenyen Gabriel, Max Christie, Toscano-Anderson, Brown Jr., Walker IV, Jones and Bryant.
Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider signed two-way contracts with the Lakers.