I’ll start off this post by telling you that Rasheed Wallace has agreed to play for the Boston Celtics. According the Boston Herald the contract is for 2 years at the midlevel exemption of $5.8 million.
Photo/Getty Images
Nothing shocking, it was only a matter of time before one of the teams that were wooing him got what they wanted, but to most of us here in Detroit, having Sheed in a Celtics uniform is not easy.
“The Enemy” to some.
“Traitor” to others.
Some will even give you the obligatory “You can launch your three’s and not play in the paint for another team, thanks for mailing in the last season Sheed.”
But to most Pistons fans we are thankful to him for putting our team over the top in 2004, allowing us a Championship we wont’ soon forget.
Rasheed Wallace is not a Detroit Piston anymore, and to be honest…..I’m surprised he made it this far.
After each season when the dominant Pistons got ousted from the Playoffs everyone called for his head. But how do you give up on a player that can dominate a game the way he can?
The man can be SHEEDtastic at the drop of a hat.
He can make the impossible seem possible.
He’s a Joker!
He’s very tricky..
But he also comes with hair pulling frustration.
I cant count the number of times I sat in my seat at the Palace hoping no one was paying attention to me as I was talking to Sheed from my seat while he was busy arguing on the floor. “Don’t do it Sheed, your going to get another Tech and get tossed, that will be 16 and I don’t think Joe D will be able to get that rescinded. We need you, you’ll be suspended. STOP!!!!”
I may not have lost sleep, but it eats at you when you have so much invested in a team.
That I won’t miss.
I will miss his Sheedisms, his dominance and the fact he made the team fun to watch in more ways than one.
The dancing was a sight in itself too.
He may work well with Boston playing a smaller roll since he NEVER wanted to be “the guy” when he clearly had the talent to be put into the category of one of the best Power Forwards in the game. He’s even got a special relationship with Kevin Garnett going in.
One thing that’s funny to me is all the Boston love for a guy that was the enemy of all enemy’s to Celtic fans.
As for Celtics and their fans…. I come in peace here, but I have been pushed over the edge way too many times by Celtics fans, I do however respect and enjoy some of the many Celtics blogs out there, so when Loy’s Place shot me an email asking me to answer a few questions for them I was just fine…until they ended the email with this…
Thanks! And welcome to the Celtics family!!!
On to the next part of this post.
I will never ever, ever never be a Celtics fan and I take offense to the mere thought of being a part of that family, because I am not.
I will (until I stop breathing) bleed the red, white and Piston blue, that is one thing you can put your money on.
I will NOT change this website nor my allegiance to the Detroit Pistons.
As you can see from the new addendum to the banner on the site, I rep the “D” regardless of Sheed.
If you followed this site from it’s inception I have stated that fact on more than one occasion. I have be asked the question hundreds of times….”What will you do when Sheed is gone?”
I will do this, nothing changes.
“Will you change the name?”….as of right now, no.
You see, this site was never supposed to be. I started it as a lazy way to share my cartoon screensaver to my friends across the country. You see even when you leave the “D” you still represent it. So as a way share my wallpapers, screensavers and videos (pre YouTube days) this website became more than I ever envisioned it to be.
Now….I’m Need4Sheed.
Funny, but I can’t change it. It may be a name to all of you, but it’s almost part of my identity at this point. When you get introduced as Natalie of Need4Sheed instead of your last name things change.
You see, it never really was about Rasheed. Sure there is plenty of Sheed here, he brings a lot to any team, but it is and always will be about the love of the Detroit Pistons.
So Sheed is gone, we all knew it was going to happen at some point. I wish him luck, but I can’t say I will be rooting Boston, but I will be rooting for him.
This is Need4Sheed where we represent the Detroit Pistons..thank you for your time Mr. Wallace and thank you for allowing me to hold this in my hands.
Onwards and upwards….DEEETROIT BASKETBALL.
July 6, 2009 at 3:40 pm
haha agreed
July 6, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Think of all the names of Piston greats that have come and gone (even to different teams), but still have their place immortalized in red, white, and blue. If this site would have been dubbed “WhatWouldBudhaDo.com” in the early 90’s, I would hope it wouldn’t have been dropped to make room for a new era (unfortunately a decade of first-round exits). Names have their origins and that’s cool. 10 years from now, I will remember Sheed, Chauncey and Ben the same way I remember Zeke, Dennis, and the Microwave. The fact you have a name that is attributed to a player who was essential as that final piece of the puzzle to win a championship is perfect.
July 6, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I was at that Denver game, on the floor right behind the basket, and went BONKERS. That’ll be my lasting Sheed memory.
Best of luck to you in Boston, I promise I won’t boo you when you come back to Detroit, but expect cheers either. I’m all Pistons.
July 6, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Very well said Nat.
Incidentally, I just started a new job today and turns out the guy sitting next to me is also I Pistons fan, one originally from Detroit. He was not aware however of the Sheed change, I told him which blog he should be reading for the latest in Pistons news. Guess what we talked about every time we had a break from training.
July 6, 2009 at 8:00 pm
See…family follows you everywhere. Instant friends, I love it.
July 6, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Poor sheed… to think that he has to wear the ugly green and white.. with that ugly midget thing as the team mascot.. (i know its a leprechaun) i just want to be harsh :p. Thank you sheed, for everything you have done for the pistons.. my lasting sheed memory will always be the 3/4 of the court buzzer beater to send it into overtime… I miss that night so much. Me and my dad were going crazy!
Best of luck to you sheed.. (BUT NOT TO YOUR TEAM!!)
July 6, 2009 at 9:23 pm
AWW NATALIE! ive been faithful to this website for almost 4 yrs and i’ve never saw how u look before, ur so beautiful… love ya smile
July 6, 2009 at 9:23 pm
sense? u mean
July 6, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Well thanks for all the guaransheeds sheed. Your dancing will never be missed either will your three point shots or when you score you strut back down the court like your on top of the world.When he went behind reggie miller will always be a fan favorite along with the championship belts that I admire to this day.Or when he hit the big shot, to bring the Piston>Denver game to overtime, i was watching that and I will admit when he shot that I screamed like a girl when it bounced off the backboard and went in.These memories wont be forgoten and either will sheed.Now there really is a NEED 4 SHEED in mowtown.
GUARANSHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED
July 6, 2009 at 9:40 pm
OH BTW, lets get WILL THE THRILL BYNUM in the middle dancing pregame.I say he gets a headband like sheeds and start doing his thing in the middle@
July 6, 2009 at 9:46 pm
http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2009/07/rumor_detroit_piston_and_utah.html
Talk of the trade rip for boozer.
July 6, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Very well said natalie, i have lived in Michigan my entire life and have always been a fan of the pistons, then when sheed came along thats when i REALLY started to follow them. He was the heart of the franchise, he got us over the hill, i will miss his pre-game rituals, his excessive t’s, (which i know people didnt care for, but hey, it showed he cared for the game) and his clutch moments, and also his guarantees off the court. I will cheer for him in Boston, but not Boston itself. He could of went ne where else though, except Cleveland, Chicago, LAL, or San Antonio.
July 6, 2009 at 9:54 pm
It’s a losing battle trying to preach about the Celtics here.
Anyway, since your getting all technical about Natalie’s grammmar, I’ll get technical about basketball, which is the purpose of this blog. “Scal” started multiple games, because Garnett and his replacement, Powe were both injured.
Correct, Boston did do well with one of their star players injured. I thought Houston did an amazing job with 2 of their franchise players injured. regardless, they both didn’t win.
This leads to why the fans here love Detroit Basketball: it’s blue collar, team oriented, led by one of the classiest Pres. of Basketball Ops guys.
Now go find your own green blog (and you might want to inspect their grammar)
July 6, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Agreed
July 6, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Very nice sentiment.
July 6, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I wouldn’t trade Rip. If he goes Tayshaun will be the only one left of the ‘04 championship team. We need experience and youth all together. Boozer might be a good scorer, but he is bad in defense and gets hurt way too easily. This will be a horrible trade. What Detroit really needs is a trade for a very good center. Keep Rip, Ben, CV, Tay, and the first and second pick of the draft; get Dyess; and trade for a very good enter. Than we have a chance for a title. Becuase if we dont get a big and good center. Than we cant beat Cleveland with Shag, or Orlando with Dwight, or Boston with Garnett and Sheed.
July 6, 2009 at 10:26 pm
I hope that hamstring injury he had during the playoffs has no effect on Ben Gordon as a Piston.
July 6, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Nat, I see no reason to change the name. Sheed is the one leaving, not you. I look forward to his antics in Boston. I think he’ll be rejuvinated with their high calibur team. It’ll just sting a bit that he’s not in a Piston’s uniform.
On a completely non-technical note (pun not intended), I already miss the Bad Boys 2.0. It was a short lived era, but I had great times watching those guys.
July 6, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Hey Need4sheed owner Natalie, hear about the possible Pistons-Jazz swap? Hamilton for Boozer
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Pistons-Jazz-still-talking-about-Boozer-for-Hami?urn=nba,174897
July 6, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I love the site Natalie … have loved it for a while now! I feel the same way about Sheed as I do Ben Wallace, ill be rooting for them but not from my Pistons seat. Thanks for the services Roscoe and keep up the great work Natalie. Deeeetroit!!
July 7, 2009 at 12:47 am
Very nice post, Natalie. Sheed will definitely be missed, atleast for his amazing personality.
July 7, 2009 at 12:49 am
If we keep that lineup, what are we going to offer to get a good center in return?
Good centers in the NBA are few and far between these days. You have to offer your best to get a good center in return.
July 7, 2009 at 4:32 am
A good article from the Sporting News on Joe D – will they eat crow or did they hit the nail on the head?
http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/28041/is_the_era_of_joe_dumars,_genius,_over
July 7, 2009 at 10:01 am
That is pretty selfish.
July 7, 2009 at 10:50 am
Natalie has the ” NEED4THE-D”
Either way This site is top notch and definately a keeper! Keep up the great work!!!
July 7, 2009 at 11:18 am
sorry for bieng rude or anything but you’re an abslute stunner natalie!
July 7, 2009 at 11:27 am
(stunner meaning beautiful)
July 7, 2009 at 11:29 am
Well thank you…and I wouldn’t say stunning at all but thanks for making me smile.
I’m not one to put my pic up here (other than the toon) but holding that trophy meant the world to me and I wanted to share it with my fellow Pistons fans.
July 8, 2009 at 10:52 am
Im a C’s fan and Im not trying to “get up all in your blog” but well written article. We never hated sheed down here and we welcome him with open arms. I Got respect for prince and chauncy as well. Good luck with the season. As long as cleveland and Orlando implode this year we all good. ps your kinda fine girl.
July 10, 2009 at 11:45 am
Nat u r my girl! Dnt change a thing! I too bleed red white and piston blue. I luv Sheed and it gonna kill me to c him n green. Just like it killed me to c BIG BEN and Chauncey go. Best of luck to you Sheed. Gonna miss your swag!
July 16, 2009 at 5:30 am
Laker fan that is a huge hoops fan and have checked out this site from time to time; well written Natalie – this site is a great example of a great fan site and I don’t doubt that your role as owner of this site has become a large part of your identity; Need4Sheed is a great name for a site and obviously you’re a Detroit fan. Anyway, I’ll still check out this site coz it’s fantastic. Best wishes!