Hold that thought: Rasheed might not retire after all?

[BballTim]

  I'll make the early prediction that if Sheed stays home until February he won't have one more run in him. It would probably take him until July to get into playing shape.

[hpantazo]

Sheed is better then Miller. The two are similar in what they can give offensively, but Sheed is superior defensively. It would be great though if Sheed retires now so we can trade him and then comes back in February for one more run.

Sheed is much better offensively. He was our best post player in the playoffs. If he is motivated enough to stay in shape, and we get enough guys to keep his minutes down, I would love to have Sheed back for one more year. I really don't think we're getting anyone of value like a David Lee for his contract anyway.

[EJPLAYA]

I think many of us on here are forgetting what Sheed brought to the table in the playoffs. Had he not had that back flare up on him, so he couldn't continue in that fourth quarter,  we would likely be holding that trophy and hanging banner 18. Sheed did exactly what we knew he would. He coasted in the regular season, got himself in solid shape in time for the playoffs, and stepped up dramatically when it counted. Yes he has an old body that didn't hold up for him, but to say that the guy can't play and wasn't a big asset to this team at the end of the year isn't accurate. If he were to get himself physically right in the offseason and we were smart with his minutes, he's the best big man option out there. I'd welcome him back with open arms.

[Fafnir]

I'm fine with either decision by Sheed. But Who is right, Danny really needs to know what Sheed wants to do asap so we can figure out the roster.

[Kane3387]

Could work out well in the end because Sheed WILL have to start. By the time Perk gets back Sheed should hopefuly be in better shape and maybe a better rhythm then he was at any point this past year including the playoffs. Remember Sheed is famous for playing himself into shape but when playing less than 25 minutes a game last year, sometimes less, he wasn't really able to accomplish that. Now with Perk out he will be playing 30 + minutes every night up until the All Star Game probably.

[Mike-Dub]

Maybe we'll get the best case scenario:  Rasheed says he's retiring, moves to another team where he's bought out for nothing (ala Derek Fisher), and then he decides to come back for the playoffs.  (Although one wonders what type of shape Rasheed would be in after taking the regular season off.)

Boy Roy would I love for that to happen!  What are the chances it does and would we it still be a good idea to go after a big man, or should we go after a wing?

[guava_wrench]

Would love to have Sheed pull a PJ Brown if he had Brown's discipline to stay in shape. Unfortunately, he doesn't.

[Andy Jick]

Maybe we'll get the best case scenario:  Rasheed says he's retiring, moves to another team where he's bought out for nothing (ala Derek Fisher), and then he decides to come back for the playoffs.  (Although one wonders what type of shape Rasheed would be in after taking the regular season off.)

Well, didn't Rasheed play pretty well in the playoffs despite taking the 09-10 regular season off? 

In all seriousness, I think the safest bet is to have Rasheed play one more year with us.  He can play 25 minutes a game as a starter until Perk gets back, then play 10 a game the rest of the regular season behind BBD on the bench.

As nice as it would be to get a David Lee, is he really a good fit to be our starting center?

I don't think 'Sheed can give those kind of minutes.  He was dead at the end of this season, and he coasted all season and only showed up once the playoffs arrived.  When a guy retires emotionally it's time to go...there are some exceptions to that rule (Favre) but not many.  'Sheed is done...

[kozlodoev]

I'd take Miller over 'Sheed any day. He didn't do anything for us this season except miss a bunch of 3's and make stupid fouls.

And you'd have Miller, who did exactly the same last season, except in a Bulls uniform. Duh.

[nickagneta]

Complete conjecture, IMO. I think the reasoning of the team getting back together makes no sense because the reason for the retirement was the pain he had and the amount of effort it took to get through the season. His retirement reasons were physical and also the mental fatigue of the season and not the fact that there was uncertainty about Doc or Paul or Ray coming back.

No, I don't believe this speculation one bit and my guess is that Aldridge is once again throwing stuff against a wall to see what sticks just to fill space because this makes little sense.

Rasheed is retiring and at the moment is holding off filing papers not because he is thinking of returning but because the Celtics have asked him not to until after they trade his contract.

[timepiece33]

After how Rasheed played during the playoffs, he is more than welcome back if he wants to come back. 

I don't believe we will find a better center than him in FA.

[Drucci]

I would love to have Sheed back, he is way better than Miller and other big men on the market.

With that said, it's true that kind of "flexibility" we have with his "soon to be retired" contract is huge so... I don't know what's best.

[Andy Jick]

I think two things are at play here with Rasheed...

1) money...and lots of it (lest we forget, that's still a big pile of dough).

2) rest...a now two-week reprieve from basketball.

He came in last season out of shape and he was hurting.  Let's not forget this guy wrenched his back late this season - I don't think that will just go away.

I hope this is conjecture (as noted above) and that Rasheed walks away on a high note.  His body is beat up and his mental capacity to take a beating is not there.  His contract is more valuable than his person, and I hope he walks away and allows the Celtics to use those funds to better the team.  If not, I can only believe he's doing it for the money, and though I can't totally blame him, I don't agree with that.  We'll be looking at another season of threads here that state, "'Sheed is lazy!" and the like, speaking of the woes of how he should have retired...

What a pity that would be...

[kenmaine]

With Doc Rivers deciding to return to the Celtics next season, and Boston close to re-signing Paul Pierce to a four-year deal, a source said Saturday night that there is a "possibility" that veteran forward Rasheed Wallace could re-think his decision last month to retire after 15 NBA seasons. The Celtics believed Wallace would retire after the team's seven-game Finals loss to the Lakers, and he appeared to make the decision final a week or so later.

Because Wallace had two years and $13 million (including $6.32 million next season) remaining on his deal when he retired, the Celtics have been looking into moving his contract to another team, which would then get the savings from Wallace's cap number, in exchange for assets. But obviously, if Wallace decides to play next season, that team wouldn't get the money off of its cap.

Link.

I have mixed feelings about this.  I like what Rasheed brings to the table when he's healthy and motivated.  On the other hand, I'm fairly excited with the possibilities of having up to $9.9 million in cap flexibility (assuming a retiring Rasheed, Gaffney, and LaFayette could be included in a trade.)

Maybe we'll get the best case scenario:  Rasheed says he's retiring, moves to another team where he's bought out for nothing (ala Derek Fisher), and then he decides to come back for the playoffs.  (Although one wonders what type of shape Rasheed would be in after taking the regular season off.)

Roy,

I like your scenario. If it could play out the same way that the big Z fiasco did with Cleveland, I'd like to have Rasheed back for one more year.
Now that we realize he actually does have something left when he's motivated, it would be nice to have his solid play and six fouls next year in the playoffs.

[Birdbrain]

More than likely Danny and Rasheed are playing the 'no retirement' game for Stern purposes so when they trade him and he retires soon after it won't be seen as trying to circumvent some rule.  A rule that Stern would only enforce in Boston's case.  As was the case for Gin Baker and Reggie Lewis situations.

But in the off chance that he doesn't retire he's a better fit than the names being thrown around for a Big of the bench.