WILMINGTON
On draft night, the Charlotte Bobcats acknowledged trade discussions with the Raptors that could have shipped small forward Gerald Wallace to Toronto.
Monday, new Bobcats coach Larry Brown wondered aloud whether he had any small forwards who would guard to his satisfaction.
Wallace's reaction to all this is … no worries.
It's easier to be stoic when you're guaranteed $38 million over the next four seasons. But it's more than that. Wallace says he understands what Brown expects defensively, and he'll adapt.
Wallace's defense has always been a tradeoff. He makes spectacular steals that lead to easy baskets. But he sometimes takes huge risks chasing those steals, and that's not Brown's way.
Brown demands players be accountable to teammates. He doesn't want to coach the spontaneity out of Wallace's game, but Charlotte's defense has to function as an orchestra, not a solo.
Message received.
“He's trying to break me out of that one-man defense thing,'' Wallace said. “He told me I'll still have opportunities to shoot the gaps. He told me he doesn't want to take away from my game. But he wants me to think team: Always think about the situation you put your teammates in when you go for those steals and miss. Are you going to leave your teammates hanging?''
While Wallace is typically among NBA leaders in steals, teams exploit his risk-taking. One Eastern Conference team makes a point of running backdoor plays late in games against the Bobcats, looking to sucker Wallace out of position.
Still, it's a mistake to think Brown doesn't value Wallace.
“He has the athletic ability, quickness and grit to be a phenomenal defender. He should be as good a rebounding small forward as there is in this league,'' Brown said.
“I look around this league, with (premier scorers) LeBron (James) and Carmelo (Anthony) and Kobe (Bryant) and Dwyane Wade, You need a guy who can guard them in the post and out on the perimeter. He's got a chance to do that.''
Billy King, national defensive player of the year as a Duke senior, worked for Brown as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers and front-office executive with the Philadelphia 76ers. King predicts that if Wallace doesn't fight what Brown expects, he'll improve most among the Bobcats because of his vast athletic potential.
“It might not show up in his stats,'' King said, “but it will in his impact on the game.''
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