Rasheed Wallace Opens Mouth

[MrRant 0]

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The NBA has fined Rasheed Wallace for the length of his shorts, for his many technical fouls, for his refusal to speak with reporters and for a postgame run-in with officials.

 

So perhaps not surprisingly, the Portland Trail Blazers forward doesn't hold the league in high regard. In an interview published in Thursday's edition of The Oregonian, Wallace said league's white establishment is exploiting young black athletes to enrich itself.

 

"I'm not like a whole bunch of these young boys out here who get caught up and captivated into the league," Wallace, 29, said. "No. I see behind the lines. I see behind the false screens. I know what this business is all about. I know the commissioner of this league makes more than three-quarters of the players in this league."

 

Wallace added that teams are drafting high school players because they want athletes who are "dumb and dumber."

 

"That's why they're drafting all these high school cats, because they come into the league and they don't know no better. They don't know no better, and they don't know the real business, and they don't see behind the charade."

 

Wallace is aware of his status among the fans, some who have said they will not renew their season tickets unless Wallace is traded. They see him as the prime example of everything that has gone wrong with the team in recent years.

 

"I know I'm Public Enemy No. 1. Fifty percent (of the fans) hate me and 50 percent love me no matter what I do," Wallace said. "I can't worry about that. If you're not part of my inner circle of family, it don't matter."

 

Wallace also said he's not concerned with NBA officials, who whistled him for a record 41 technical fouls in 2000-01.

 

"That's just the fire in me. Some of the technicals I deserved. Cussing at the officials or throwing something," he said. "But some of them I didn't deserve.

 

"I'm not scared of the NBA. I'm not scared of the NBA officials. If I feel as though myself or my teammates have been dealt a wrong hand, I'm going to let it be known. I'm not going to sit up here like most of these cats and bite my tongue. That's not me."

 

Wallace is in his eighth season with Portland and is making $17 million this season. He is the only Blazers player who lives in the area throughout the year, not just during the NBA season. Wallace said he and his wife of five years, Fatima, like the city and would prefer to stay.

 

"It's real nice and pretty in the summer," Wallace said. "All the trees, flowers and everything else is more colorful. It's nice out here in the summertime, and it's a good family atmosphere."

 

Wallace said his wife helped him realize that some of his actions can have a negative effect on their family, such as when he was arrested and charged with marijuana possession in November 2002 while riding in a sport utility vehicle with guard Damon Stoudamire.

 

Wallace says he didn't regret the incident initially. Then he heard from his wife.

 

"It was embarrassing from the standpoint of my family. That's one of the things my wife made me realize. She was like, 'I know how you are. I know stuff like that doesn't really affect you too much. But it affected us,'" Wallace said. "She meant her and my kids. That made me sit back and think about it, and she was right. A situation like that, I have to think past myself. I got a family. Got a wife. She was telling me what was happening with my kids. After I talked to her about it, I regretted the whole situation."

 

But Wallace, who's one of the more charitable Blazers, doesn't consider himself a role model and doesn't feel he needs to constantly represent the Blazers and the NBA in public and in front of the media.

 

"It doesn't have to take a Portland Trail Blazer or a professional basketball player to do good things in the community. You can work at a bank or work at a 7-Eleven. You donate your time or money to the local Boys & Girls Clubs or PAL (Police Activities League) Club. They won't see you as a role model, but you are. I don't know why they see a basketball player as a role model."

 

Still, he knows participating in charitable events for the Blazers is part of his job as an NBA player. But once again, he prefers doing it his way. That doesn't always include posing for pictures.

 

"They try to glorify stuff with the media being there when they do things in the community, but that's not me. I don't need a TV camera to let me know on the inside that I'm doing something good."

 

Edit... Damn hit the "U" instead of "H". If a mod could edit that please.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

They don't know no better

 

That was my favorite line of the article.

 

Perhaps Wallace and Warren Sapp should open up their own agent practice...

[Guest Just J]

Wallace is a moron. He should just shut up and play like everyone else. I don't like the people I work for, but that's just part of it. Deal with it.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

That line stood out to me, too. Always fun to talk about stupidity and then proceed to make a grammatical error yourself.

[Ripper 0]

You know what I noticed? How the "White Establishment" line isn't in quotations and doesn't show a quote of him saying it. I hate when papers do that. Did he say it or not and if so, why couldn't you show the entire statement?

 

All bullshit aside, what did he say so wrong in this article. Yes, the NBA constantly is pushing that players are making more and more money yet they ignore how much money the commisioner and owners are making off them despite never putting a ball through a hoop.

 

Rasheed wallace is a charitible guy that got alot of T's 2-3 years ago (he wasn't NEAR the leade in techs for the past 2 years.) so he is remembered for that. You have to respect the guys that don't do it for the recognition like alot of others do.

 

To be honest, I don't see anything wrong with what he said. I disagree with some of it but he presented his opinion and came off well double negatives aside.

[2GOLD 0]

It might be my medication talking....but some of that made sense.

[ant_7000 0]

Actually, Ripper you have a point because they didn't Quote Wallace on saying "White Establishment" the paper just implied it, thats putting words into his mouth. Reading his quotes to Wallace never implied "White Establishment" he said the league, Wallace does make a point that the NBA exploit its players, for the millions that the players make is nothing compared to what the owners and Commissioner Stern makes. I hate Owners think that they win championships and not the players. I just think Oreganian paper don't like him, he hasn't led the league in T's for a couple of years.

[Guest MD2020]

BOTH TEAMS PLAYED HARD.

[Ripper 0]

I haven't even seen where it he said black players. He said "the NBA exploits its players".

 

Hey, he might have said it and they just didn't quote it, but it looks like words being placed in his mouth. And since his is open all the time, its probably pretty easy to put them there.

[Steviekick 0]

BOTH TEAMS PLAYED HARD.

I remember the quote of that in the playoffs. Something like "Both teams played hard, it was a tough game, thanks and good night."

[the pinjockey 0]

All bullshit aside, what did he say so wrong in this article. Yes, the NBA constantly is pushing that players are making more and more money yet they ignore how much money the commisioner and owners are making off them despite never putting a ball through a hoop.

And if it weren't for the owners, those players would never have the courts and arenas to put the balls in the hoops. And if it weren't for the commisioner and the league's marketing these players would not have the opportunities they do when it comes to endorsements.

 

I can't see how any NBA player can complain when the veteran MINIMUM salary is in the seven digits.

 

And I don't see the NBA being like baseball, where they will blame things on the player salaries. The NBA has high salaries, but I have never seen them say the players don't deserve them or drastic changes need to be made to curtail them or as you put it "pushing that the players are making more and more".

[Ripper 0]

You haven't been looking hard. The owners get on TV talking about how they have to drive up ticket prices because the players contracts are getting ridiculous...all the while THEIR profits are climbing more and more. There are tons of rules limiting how much they can pay a player, and they are constantly pushing to lower it.

 

the NBA is just as bad between the owners and players as baseball...well...not just as bad, but close.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

You know what I noticed?  How the "White Establishment" line isn't in quotations and doesn't show a quote of him saying it.  I hate when papers do that.  Did he say it or not and if so, why couldn't you show the entire statement?

Now this is interesting.

 

I decided to head on over to where the interview took place here and found some little gems that Rant's article left out:

 

"I ain't no dumb-ass nigger out here. I'm not like a whole bunch of these young boys out here who get caught up and captivated into the league," Wallace, 29, said. "No. I see behind the lines. I see behind the false screens. I know what this business is all about. I know the commissioner of this league makes more than three-quarters of the players in this league.

 

"There's a whole lot of crunching numbers that, quote-unquote, me as an athlete and me as an NBA player should know. In my opinion, they just want to draft niggers who are dumb and dumber -- straight out of high school. That's why they're drafting all these high school cats, because they come into the league and they don't know no better. They don't know no better, and they don't know the real business, and they don't see behind the charade.

 

"They look at black athletes like we're dumb-ass niggers. It's as if we're just going to shut up, sign for the money and do what they tell us."

 

<end of article bits>

 

And the sad thing is I just got a phone call from a white basketball-playing friend of mine up in Portland who wants to know if it's OK for him to be exploited by the NBA should he decide to enter the Draft straight out of high school...

Edited December 12, 2003 by kkktookmybabyaway

[MrRant 0]

Well I'm awaiting Ripper's response.

[the pinjockey 0]

You haven't been looking hard.  The owners get on TV talking about how they have to drive up ticket prices because the players contracts are getting ridiculous...all the while THEIR profits are climbing more and more.  There are tons of rules limiting how much they can pay a player, and they are constantly pushing to lower it. 

 

the NBA is just as bad between the owners and players as baseball...well...not just as bad, but close.

If I have to look hard doesn't that refute the idea that owner's are on TV and the NBA is pushing and pushing the idea that the player's salaries are out of line?

 

And about these tons of rules limiting player's salaries.....it's their own fault. They allowed a salary cap, so they have to live with the consequences. And I am not going to weep to much when the rules force veterans to be paid at least a mil and allow players to sign 20+ mil/yr extensions.

 

And in all honestly, as soon as you say that NBA owners are close to MLB owners, you just sound silly.

[2GOLD 0]

And the sad thing is I just got a phone call from a white basketball-playing friend of mine up in Portland who wants to know if it's OK for him to be exploited by the NBA should he decide to enter the Draft straight out of high school...

 

He wants to enter right out of high school?

And he's white????

 

Is he 9 feet tall with three point range?

 

And isn't it sad that the stereotype of white guys having no high school playing skills still rings true in my mind?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

And in all honestly, as soon as you say that NBA owners are close to MLB owners, you just sound silly.

 

What about Jerry Colangelo?

[the pinjockey 0]

That would make the owners identical as opposed to close.

 

Whoooo semantics

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Rant, I'm curious.

 

Where did you get your "edited" article from?...

[Guest Anglesault]

"That's why they're drafting all these high school cats, because they come into the league and they don't know no better.

Well, you would expect that, would you not?

 

If I was a cat and I was suddenly drafted on to an NBA team, I'd be confused as well.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

"That's why they're drafting all these high school cats, because they come into the league and they don't know no better.

Well, you would expect that, would you not?

 

If I was a cat and I was suddenly drafted on to an NBA team, I'd be confused as well.

The Grizzlies should just give up and suit up some actual Grizzlies. I would pay to see that.

[Ripper 0]

Well I'm awaiting Ripper's response.

"Hey, he might have said it and they just didn't quote it "

 

I said he might have said it, it just looked fishy due to the heavy editing that ESPN did.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Oh for God's sake -- Rant's article WAS on ESPN.

 

You spineless, gutless cowards. I can't believe you people just lost even MORE respect from me, if that's at all possible.

 

Gee, editing out comments/conversations regarding a racial subject -- ESPN NEVER does that.

 

But it's odd that they didn't give John Rocker the same treatment (No, I don't want to turn this into a black-white issue, keep reading to get the gist of what I'm saying):

 

It's strange how I didn't read on ESPN Rocker saying the following:

 

"I don't like sitting next to someone who has alternative lifestyles and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome."

 

"I don't like Illegal Immigrants coming into this country."

 

"Randall Simon is just a tad overweight..."

Edited December 12, 2003 by kkktookmybabyaway

[Ripper 0]

BUT they did title the article "RASHEED WALLACE SAYS NBA TAKES ADVANTAGE OF BLACK ATHLETES" and the white establishment part.

 

They just left out the exact quotes and replaced them with kinder and gentler ones.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

They just left out the exact quotes and replaced them with kinder and gentler ones.

 

Well ESPN is a kinde, gentler sports "news" network because quotes like, "They look at black athletes like we're dumb-ass niggers. It's as if we're just going to shut up, sign for the money and do what they tell us," is such an insignificant part of the article.

 

Fucking cowards...