Rasheed Wallace Would Only Hurt New York

After two years of retirement, Rasheed Wallace is stepping back onto the court as a backup power forward for the New York Knicks. 

Wallace will be the backup for Amar’e Stoudemire, but he is not ready to play quite yet.

According to the New York Post, Wallace is not practicing yet because the Knicks medical staff does not want to risk any chance of injury since Wallace has been out for two years. 

What is he doing instead in order to get into shape? Boxing.

According to The Post, “In the past couple of years, the medical staff, spearheaded by cutting-edge medical director Dr. Lisa Callahan, has deemed sparring with gloves as a great tool to getting into basketball shape.” 

Wallace was seen boxing on the sidelines during the Knicks' Monday night scrimmage. It seems like an ironic way for Wallace to get into shape, since he is known for his technical fouls. 

Will Wallace benefit the Knicks or hurt them? 

He has not played in the NBA for two years, and he has been on the sidelines during all of the team's practices. Head coach Mike Woodson has not yet said when Wallace will be able to practice on the court. 

Plus, Wallace is getting older—he is 38—and it is going to take longer for him to get back in shape. And once that happens, what is he going to do to help the team, besides rack up the technical fouls?

At this point, the Knicks could suffer from their addition of Wallace. They need someone who can go into the game, give Stoudemire a break and keep his momentum going, not hurt it. Wallace will not be able to keep up with the speed and agility that Stoudemire exerts on the court. 

Wallace has such a high chance of getting injured, along with the other three players on the team that are 38 or older, and the Knicks are already witnessing the trend of older players getting easily hurt. Last week, Marcus Camby strained his left calf and is out for seven to 10 days.

The Knicks should not have to deal with Wallace’s aggression, either. Maybe the boxing will help him lose that anger before he hits the court, but fans have to be skeptical. 

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1364638-knicks-rumors-rasheed-wallace-would-only-hurt-new-york

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