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Sheed, your going to get another Tech and get tossed, that will be 16 and I don’t think Joe D will be able to get that rescinded.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.
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good shit natalie, thats a nice pic of you and the larry obrien, but i think villanueva will more than fill in…
well said Nat! hate that he is gone and i wish him the best. Sheed is a talented player.. and watching him and Kevin is just good basketball! i still can’t stand Paul P. and the Celtics!
Natalie is hot! I knew it! I win a prize!
I will miss Sheed…. it was a great run with him here.
I still will cheer for Detroit no matter who wears the Piston colors.
Heh, this is the first place I even thought of coming when I heard about the trade. Not ESPN where I heard it first. I popped in need4sheed.com before their douchey writer was permitted into my noggin. Glad you’re gonna stay true!
I have a Detroit Basketball warm up jersey with the number 36 and the name “Sheed” on the back, and I will continue to wear it because, like Natalie once said, Sheed is not a player but a state of mind for the Pistons fans. Thanks for all the great times and for 2004, Mr. Wallace. Oh, and yes I too will continue to hate the Celtics.
im gunnabe really mad if at the palace. the fans boo sheed when they announce his name. booing ben wallet is fine cuz he left but rasheed was never offered anything from us so he shouldnt get booed. he was my favorite piston and im gunna miss him now.
Amen to that.
Up here in Canada, I’m a die hard Pistons fan, and really Sheed left his mark on the team for the last half a dozen years, you could tell he was the glue connecting all the players. I feel sad and bad that he had to move on, anytime I will see him on the court, I’ll start looking for Rip , Prince and the rest of the lineup. On the positive side, at least, he didn’t sign with the Cavs. Pistons4ever
I will definitely miss Sheed on the D, he’s been the backbone of this team since he got here! Many Piston fans have been calling to ‘blow it up’ for several years now, I think that has now been accomplished. I think rebuilding is gonna be tougher than most think, besides a ‘decent’ Head Coach, we still need at least 1 more piece to the puzzle…As far as Rasheed goes, I hope that the Celtic signing is only a rumor…Of all teams, not them! They’ve been our arch enemy since the ‘3 amigo’ inception. Boston only wants him short term (1 yr deal/complementary role), win a ‘Ship’ and throw him away. I was hoping he would go to Orlando. At least there he would start, he could share his ‘knowledge’ while developing the younger players, maybe even move into a coaching role in the near future…Anyplace, just not Boston!
I will try to keep this short.
I have been a die hard Pistons fan ever since Sheed came to Detroit. I am VERY sad to see him leave. It hurts even more since he’s going to the Celtics, which is a team I hate very much. I am glad he made a decision to move on in his career, but I personally would have MUCH rather see him retire.
All good things must come to an end.
Thank you, Sheed. I will miss you.
Chauncey (my favourite player) and Sheed are both out. Im thinking McDyess will go soon. I really hope Prince and Rip finish their careers here.
It gives me goosebumps seeing the Bad Boys II get separated. I lose sleep wondering about JD’s next moves.
Go Pistons!
Damn, it’s pity. Dirty 30 was my favourite.
I can’t really see anyone missing Sheed. He came here and did what we got him to do. He let the team down just as much as he propped it up. Maybe it’s my nature as the emotionally detached fan, but I don’t think I’ll ever spend time reminiscing about Sheed in a Pistons uni.
Say what you want about me, but I’ve been a KG fan since 1999, so I’m rooting for the Celtics to win the championship this year.
Love Sheed…i wish him the best until he plays against the pistons. Nothing lasts forever. Good luck to Sheed and his family. I like the direction that Joe is taking. We need new blood. You dont have to change the name. My best memory of Need4Sheed was the petition to stern. Need4Sheed is more about the pistons than just sheed. The name is great.
Nat, a Celtics fan? yea right
Screw Sheed by the way…he’s the enemy now
When I was a kid I wanted to stab Bill Laimbeer with a kitchen knife. My father always said, “You’d love him if he were a Celtic.”
We can finally see if that theory holds water. Take heart in the fact that the Det/Bos rivalry is on hold until your team builds itself back up. We’re the most badass team in the NBA.
All you people on here might as well cheer for the Celtics. The Pistons are just a franchise full of failure. Rasheed comes over to the best franchise in the NBA. He is coming to a place of history, winning, and pride. He knows he can win in Boston, which is alot better than what he could do in Detroit. Who wants to be on a team that comes up short every year? You might as well change the colors on this site to green because SHEED IS IN GREEN. Just make this a celtics blog, that would be the easist thing to do. All you pistons fans try to act like your such loyal fans but I gurantee the Palace won’t sell out every game. Anyways thanks for making Sheed want to leave Detroit. I will thank you again the night we raise banner EIGHTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!
He is well gonna be missed… Don’t change the site, if people don’t know by now about it they have got their head in the dirt. The site even shows up on Canadian Google searches. Keep up the good work…
Shane O Montreal, Quebec
look i know boston fans are bandwagoners who change teams when their team is losing, but sorry Detroit has loyalty. Okay sunshine? We wish Sheed luck, but sorry this will not be a celtics blog, but I do think its cool that you think that highly of Natalie to want her. She’s awesome.
who invited the celtics fans? Sorry folks, loving the Pistons is required here.
we all felt the same way about Bird, McHale,…
I grew up a sixer fan back in the early 80′s (the doctor). being an army brat, my default was always michigan teams (family is from there), so when the sixers tried to tarde dr j to utah, i started to follow the pistons, even though my favorite player was the erving. this was before the bad boys had actually become the bad boys, mind you.
i had a lot of guys i liked as a kid. there has only been one player i loved as an adult – rasheed wallace
now, growing up a sixer fan and a pistons fan, there was one team i hated more than anyone else in the nba: the boston celtics. hate them. hate them like i hate the yankees. hate them like i hate notre dame football. hate them like i hate claude lemieux.
last year, me and my wife (celtics fan), moved to…boston. now, as a red sox fan (and not a bandwagon fan…been one since 85), this was awesome. but being around all these celtics fans…unbeasrable. especially after winning the championship.
this for me is about as painful as letting claude lemieux have sex with my wife. it’s as painful as wtaching big opapi go to the yanks. it’s like watching kordell stewart throw the only meaninful pass in his life against michigan
i cant find the heart to hate sheed. business is business. wish he could have gone anywhere but boston. i told my wife there was no way id be going to the Garden the next two years. if the celts were on the televsion, id be leaving the room. i never ever want to see sheed in green. unless someehow he wins Augusta
this is just a plain old awful day from hell. i feel the need, the need for….kneecapping danny ainge
F*** this day
Change the name of the site, please…
fuck you. this is the shit i deal with daily. hey, fucknuts: just like the red sox and the yankees here….what the hell have the celts done in the past 25 years? 1 championship. pistons? 3
id slap you, but i dont want to make the effort. slap yourself
(sorry if cursing is verbotten here.)
duh…Sheed was part of the team that came up short every year.
So was Chauncey, and his team this year…came up short.
Next year, Sheed’s team will again… come up short.
“Comin up short” reminds me of when the Bad Boys put the C’s in there place. That was the first of the “comin up short” years for the celtics (wasn’t that 2 decades of comin up short?)
Who will replace pierce if he gets injured? NOT a deep position there on the C’s bench,
What about at point? You have a shot-putting, point guard, who’s not a versatile scorer and playmaker like Stuckey. Besides, your GM doesn’t even have faith in your point guard; he want’s to trade him.
badass?
Maxiell would eat Perkins
lmao boston just signs all old scrubby players, the only player they have thats not weak or washed up is bill walker, best of luck to sheed but boston still isnt going anywhere this year!
We all knew this day was coming, sooner than later, Natalie. Rasheed will have a legit shot at another title in Boston, which means he may play like the Sheed we loved here in the D, the 04-05 version. Beantown is a good fit.
I both loved and loathed Sheed. He put the 04 Pistons over the top, they don’t have their 3rd title without him. Same for the run of ECF appearances. For that alone, Sheed will be remembered fondly.
But the drama, the unnecessary techs, the floating at the 3 point line, the gut feeling he was somehow wasting his immense talent, leaving Horry wide open in the 05 Finals…well, Sheed had virtually burned off all the goodwill generated by the 04 title.
So thanks for the ALL good memories, Sheed, but don’t let the door hit you in the ass. In other words, it was time for Rasheed Wallace to move on, for the sake of both Sheed, and the Detroit Pistons.
As for the N4S, all I can say is I’m glad I used a retired coaches name as part of the title of my blog. Wayne Fontes will always be a Lion, for better and worse. The title will never become an issue. If it were me, at the very least, I’d contemplate a name change. This is a Pistons blog!
But do what you feel is best, Nat.
We all knew this day would come. Sheed wouldn’t be a part of the Pistons forever. That being said what brought me to this website in the first place was the name. I was intrigued by Sheed. I didn’t know him too well. Although I knew of his antics. This blog had been about the Pistons primarily but Sheed secondary. I have learned more about Sheed behind the scenes from this blog then I would have otherwise. But Natalie after the initial visit to this site, to me the site became less about the subject and more about the writer/designer. Your cartoons and screen savers and photo edits (I don’t know what that’s called) have kept me here. Your sense of humor, the matter of fact way that you speak through each post shows me and everyone else that you are a true Pistons fan. Thank you for all of that.
But to the people giving you a hard time about the name they need to take a step back. As crazy as this sounds it’s almost like you need a little time to grieve. NEED4SHEED has been a apart of your life. Like you said it’s no longer Natalie Sitto it’s Natalie from NEED4SHEED. It takes a little time to process that. You can’t just switch it at the drop of a hat. Not when you are so connected to it. But I will tell you Natalie whatever name you decide to use whether it’s NEED4SHEED2LEAVE or NONEED4SHEED or anything like that I will continue to come here and hang out with you and all the other Pistons fans.
haha! yes!
shut up please.
You said-”I will NOT chance this website nor my allegiance to the Detroit Pistons” — its supposed to be CHANGE, not “chance”
Natalie, I discovered this website a couple years ago and after that, was a daily basis.
1 – email
2 – nba
3 – need4sheed.com
After a couple months, number 3 became number 2 and last year I was totally amazed with myself that number 3 became number 1. I check need4sheed before ANYTHING else in my life…
The fact that the website is pro and amateur at the same time creates a big identity, the pictures, wallpapers and analysis are critic but always seeing our team first, which is something the world doesn´t do it so often, maybe because we are THAT BAD.
Cheering for celtics? Never, cheering for Rasheed, always, the attitude is one the fewest in the league, a remainder of the eighties…
Natalie, keep it up, we will always be here.
TX Rasheed!!!! Detroit Pistons family, Gordon attack!!!
I definitely appreciate everything Sheed has done. But I am one of the few fans that saw the potential in Memo & when we signed Sheed, losing Memo was the beginning of the end. Joe made a lot of clever moves to get that ring in 04 but he also gave up so much. He basically made us old over night. Passing on Melo, letting Memo walk in favor of Sheed picking up Dyess well past his prime. True we were a great team for a lot of years, but we all had to watch as the other teams built around their young stars. Teams like Orl, Cle, Den, NO, Por. All went from irrelevant to contenders in a few short years. Now we’re on this youth movement. Joe is just trying to grab players & rebuild the team the way he did in 2001-2003. A bunch of cast offs with p[otential. But the problem is, you just can’t win that way anymore. We have NO team leader. No Big Ben leading with inspired play, no Sheed leading with his incredible passion & swagger, no Billups leading by example & calming everyone down. Rip & Tay will always be 2nd-4th fiddles. Stuckey is NOT A PG & the rest of the players are too young or not talented enough to lead a team. Sheed is just the sign of the end of an error. The ship has sunk & us along with it. I do not have faith in Joe D. So far every move he made last season, has come back to bite us in the ass & we’re paying for it. No coach, no stars, no ring for the foreseeable future. I am Detroit til I die, but I don’t think I can sit through a full season of Gordon & Charlie chucking up shots while Bynum Afflalo & Stuckey are forced to watch & let it happen. So long Sheed, enjoy 1 last shot at ring before it’s all said & done. Thanks for the memories!
I hope that the site becomes an archival site.
I came up with a few names. WinwithBen, NarleyforCharlie or LuckyforStuckey. You can use any of these free of charge.
Ha I didn’t realize that I started out my comment with the same thing as you did. I didn’t mean to. I guess I should have read through all of the comments before I commented.
Wow the championship team of 04 is finally broken up!!
so many great memories, and so many bad ones. The only one left is Tay because there are rumors going around that Rip might get traded for Boozer. Hey Natalie i saw u crossed everybody(Sheed,Amir,A.I.,and Curry) what about Walter Herrmaan?? anyways on a good note its time for a NEW AND YOUNG ERA OF DETROOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIITTTTT BAAAAAAASSSSSKKKKEEETTTT BAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For many years now they had the mix just right for the Pistons. They had the right coach, the right amount of veteran experience and veteran bumps on a log with a few young player added in. But last season will forever be known as the season that changed everything. Mr. D passing away just added to everything. The Pistons are reeling right now. Yeah they ship off Rip to Utah for a brittle Boozer. Yes they bring in a few young player hoping to re-energize the team. They are even bringing in a new coach. But what kind of team are they going to form? A strong defensive first mentality that we have been used to? If that’s the case how are CV and BG going to fit in with that? I just hope that when all is said and done that the trust that we have placed in Joe D through the years continues to produce dividends for us fans.
I wouldn’t change it – look at freedarko.com – the relationship between commenters and bloggers is about community and there’s a great one right here. Keep the name.
good and you shouldnt dont listen to this guy i love the name
fuck Joe D?
hes tryin to help us bring another banner in Detroit by making these moves, how come you or no one else can realize this???
and Joe D’s a Piston legend
you should be banned from this site
You pistons fans may be some of the most ridiculous fans in sports. Its one thing when they yankees fans talk smack because they have CHAMPIONSHIPS to back it up. Its another when a PIECE OF SHIT FRANCHISE like the pistons talk shit. I will reply to the guy who said we change teams when the celtics are losing? If I remember right we are the winningest franchise in the NBA. And also if I remember right when we were losing the Garden was still packed every night. The guy who mentioned the last 25 years is a joke. I dont even need to reply but all I need to say is 17.. figure it out from there. And BTW if you look at you girl natalie’s article she is a Celtics fan. She say’s she will NEVER, ever ever, NEVER be a Celtics fan. If your smart enough you will realize that means she always be a Celtics fan. So i suggest revising that. And what if pierce gets hurt? Every team in the NBA would be hurt if there best player got hurt. Thats like saying the Cavs would be bad without Lebron. Its obvious, you just have to hope to stay healthy. If we need to we can put Scal in there who started multiple games for KG last year and did a good job doing it.
Hey Natalie, I’ve been a fan of the blog for about 2 years, and I love it! You perfectly summed up how Pistons fans should feel about Sheed. Thanx for the trophy, we wish him luck, and I’ll be rooting for him, too. But I will NEVER root for that team… EVER. All true Pistons fans have hated Boston since ’86, and we LOVED watching them struggle before the ‘big 3′. And just think, ‘Sheed is gonna look terrible in that UGLY GREEN… with a green sweatband? UHHHGGGG!
I’m so happy you don’t delete the blog ! I’ve been a fan for years and years !
I’m French, and in France, it’s difficult to find a good website about DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETROIT Basketball ! And this blog is really perfect !
There’s no way you should change the name of the site. Keep up the reporting of all things Pistons but what’s wrong with posting a funny quote from Sheed or when he posts a double double or gets too many techs. Even though he has changed teams, I would still be interested in reading about him. I too will miss Sheed’s personality and will be rooting for him. My hatred of Boston will remain the same.
Seriously…………..
All the love today is making me a little misty.
THANK YOU ALL
haha yeah its all about joe , but mark did as much for us in the champion run , and every one makes lambier a hero when he was a bad boy thats it , sheed did twice the shit he did but since its a different era sheed being a bad boy makes him a bad teammate , doesnt make since .
Good point, Mannie. I don’t want Natalie to change the site name, but I also don’t want a bunch of obnoxious Celtics fans talking trash in the threads. hmm…
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