A small snippet from Slam made quite a splash and as we know the “close personal friend” route can never be confirmed.

“SLAM contributor J. Gamble [making his debut with us next issue] hears from a close personal friend of Rasheed Wallace’s that unless Sheed gets $8 million to play next year, he’s going to retire. If that’s true, we’ve probably seen the last of Sheed in the NBA.”

It was a buzz on local sports radio yesterday as well as chatter I heard from Sheed fans via email. I’m with Detroit Bad Boys on this one, if 8 million is the true price tag you have seen the last of Sheed in a Pistons uniform (although I didn’t see him coming back either way).

Dave Dial with his expertise of the Salary Cap over at MLive also weighs in:

“As for the $8 million dollar price tag, that will be tough for Rasheed to get next season. The Mid-Level Exception was set at $5.585 million for the 2008-2009 season and is expected to decrease next season. So teams that are over the salary cap can’t offer Rasheed the $8 million he wants, even if they wanted to pay him that much.

There will only be a handful of teams that have cap space this summer. OKC, Memphis, Portland, Detroit, Atlanta and Minnesota will all have significant monies under the salary cap.

I think you can rule out Portland and Detroit, for obvious reasons. I doubt Rasheed would want to spend his last year or two playing for Memphis, OKC or Minnesota. The losing and having no chance at winning a Title would get to him too much. That would leave only Atlanta, which would only have the cap space required if they renounce Mike Bibby and let Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia walk.

Which leads back to Rasheed deciding to just retire, or maybe the Pistons would include Wallace in a sign and trade deal with a team that is over the cap. The Spurs, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Bobcats and Celtics have all been rumored to be interested in Wallace. If Rasheed wants a one or two year deal at $8 million per year, it probably wouldn’t scare off all of those teams. With the summer fast approaching, we will know for sure if this rumor is true or not.”

Great, and I do mean great, interview over theglobeandmail.com with Rasheed Wallace. Michael Grange got into a conversation with Sheed on the economy…I will not post everything here because you need to head over there and read it, but he did ask him how much longer he would play….and

If you put a suitcase in a locker room with $25-million [compared with the $56-million or so salary cap] would players take it or would they leave it and go get a job? What would they do?

They would probably rely on that suitcase. I guess it depends on the up-bringing. Myself, personally, I have no problem going out there and getting a 9-to-5. If I have to do that to support my family, that’s what I’m going to do: get my black us up, and get that 9-to-5.

How many more years you going to play?

I don’t know. I guess until the wheels fall off the bus. Or until I’m not wanted on no teams, I guess. I’m still year-by-year.

Seriously, could you imagine sharing a cubicle with SHEED? Utter hilarity all day long.

“Nah, I haven’t thought about that,” he said with a smile. “‘Dyess will have to cross that bridge when he gets to it. I haven’t talked to Dyess. Well, he hasn’t answered my calls.” Via The Detroit News When asked if he has talked to McDyess about coming back to Detroit.

If Rasheed can’t convince him I am sure Pistons fans can. COME HOME DYESS!

“I’m more a decoy on a lot of things,” Wallace said. “I know that when I’m out there on that wing the majority of my men won’t be able to go help on (Jason Maxiell) or (Kwame Brown) or (Amir Johnson) in the post.” Sheed on stepping outside in three point land. Via The Detroit Free Press

“No way on God’s green Earth can you lock me up,” Wallace baited Brown. “I go hard; you lollygag.” “One basket in 3½ hours!” Wallace blared. Brown scored again. “Two baskets in 3½ hours!” Sheed on Kwame Brown’s performance during practice.

Via Keith Langlois True Blue Pistons, I suggest you read the rest of Kwame’s ‘Welcome to the Pistons’ moment.

Nice block Roscoe.

Mr. Clark, do you really think anyone has any influence or Rasheed except maybe his mother?

I could pull tons of quotes from the article, but I would rather you head on over to read it in it’s entirety. I will quote on thing from Eric Adelson’s tale of Rasheed, and that’s his closing paragraph.

“Fact is, Wallace should be a Hall of Famer, but it’s not in him to dominate-to be the once-in-a-generation star his talent supports. Maybe this explains why he lingers on the perimeter instead of being more of a force down low. He’s always been more comfortable on the outside looking in.”