Was Bill Kennedy looking to eject Wallace?

[nickagneta]

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/12/21/rondo_passes_up_quite_a_chance/

Rasheed Wallace offered no apologies for his behavior in Friday night’s loss to the 76ers. Instead, he said his ejection was another example of how he is victimized by officials.

Wallace returned to action last night and had 10 points and four rebounds with three fouls in 20 minutes. Wallace, who has 10 technical fouls and will receive a one-game suspension if he reaches 16, said he found it strange that official Bill Kennedy, who ultimately ejected him, hovered near the Celtics’ huddle during a timeout. Officials usually stand on the opposite side of the court during timeouts, but Kennedy was mere feet away from the huddle.

“You tell me,’’ Wallace said when asked if he was targeted. “I can say all I want about anybody. If they are standing right near our huddle trying to stick their nose in there, so yeah they are going to hear some stuff. And that’s exactly what it was. When have you ever seen a ref stand that close to our bench during a timeout?’’

I missed most of the game Friday and the entire Wallace ejection. I also did not DVR the game, which I usually do. So can anyone tell me if what Wallace is saying is true. Was Kennedy standing excessively close to the Celtics bench trying to overhear what Wallace was saying to one of his team mates and not directly saying anything to Kennedy? Does anyone have video of the stuff leading up to the ejection?

[Jon Niednagel]

If I recall correctly, it happened during a TV timeout, so all I saw was Sheed being escorted off the floor. I would bet it is true though as I don't trust Kennedy at all (I was the one who started the Kennedy strikes again thread).

[RAcker]

The replays that were shown of what happened during the TV timeout (which I only saw on ESPN since it was commercial when watching it live) show Kennedy on the bench side of the court near the hash mark.  That is very close to the C's bench.

[MBz]

We can put it on the official, but ultimately Rasheed needs to keep his mouth shut, plain and simple.  Had Rasheed kept quiet none of it would have happened.

[nesnfsn]

Sure, Rasheed appears to be lacking in the keeping his anger bottled up inside him and then channeling that energy into bestial efforts on the boards.

But, at the same time, NBA officials need to acknowledge and allow players to blow off steam in their team huddles. That is no place for officials, and is why, ordinarily (although I do not believe there is any rule) officials move away from a team huddle and a player who might be angry about a foul called against them. It is only prudent to move away from someone and to give them time to let off steam rather than stand close by and escalate a situation.

If Referree Bill Kennedy stood in close proximity to the Celtics Huddle, then he displayed at best, pitiful judgment and character, but if as Rasheed Wallace believes, stood nearby intentionally, then his actions and conduct should be reviewed by the NBA, and if it finds that he did stand in close proximity to the Celtics Bench, he should be publicly reprimanded so that other officials are on notice that this conduct is intolerable and stupid, and he should be suspended for a period of 2-3 games.

Officials, like law enforcement officers, need to defuse volatile situations, not throw gasoline on the fire.

[indeedproceed]

Rasheed is definitely targeted by the refs sometimes. That said...he's gotta shut his yapper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IICN2dQHrM

He really acts out of control sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMTSqptfRU4

He's not ashamed of it at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4E0N8pNR9U

But, sometimes his reputation of history catches up with him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in-W5OuCmS4&feature=related

It's not hard to see how he could develop a complex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKhc6GL7iz8

[MidwestGreen]

Rasheed is definitely targeted by the refs sometimes. That said...he's gotta shut his yapper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IICN2dQHrM

He really acts out of control sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMTSqptfRU4

He's not ashamed of it at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4E0N8pNR9U

But, sometimes his reputation of history catches up with him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in-W5OuCmS4&feature=related

It's not hard to see how he could develop a complex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKhc6GL7iz8

Rasheed Wallace is awesome. Thanks for proving it even more!

[moiso]

The ref can stand where he wants.  But I guess he wasn't close enough for Wallace since he tried to charge him from the bench.  I'm so sick of Rasheed.

[Cman]

The ref can stand where he wants.  But I guess he wasn't close enough for Wallace since he tried to charge him from the bench.  I'm so sick of Rasheed.

I love Rasheed, love the intensity that he brings. People can say what they want -- the guy's a competitor who takes the game seriously. 

The difference between him and KG (aside from skill) is that KG has a little voice in his head that tells him to turn the intensity inward. 

[moiso]

His mouth is intense but not his body. 

[moiso]

I can't believe the free pass Wallace gets.  Bloggers complain about the character of Nate Robinson, Lebron, Marbury, Iverson, etc.  But we have the biggest jerk in the league on our team- Rasheed.  And what a ballhog.  I just checked the per 48minute stats for shot attempts.  1.Wallace 20.5 attempts per 48min. 2. KG 17.7 attempts. 3. Ray 16.8 attempts 4. Paul 16.2 attempts per 48.  There is something seriously wrong with those numbers.  And it's not like Wallace is hitting them, he's just jacking them up.

[indeedproceed]

I can't believe the free pass Wallace gets.  Bloggers complain about the character of Nate Robinson, Lebron, Marbury, Iverson, etc.  But we have the biggest jerk in the league on our team- Rasheed.  And what a ballhog.  I just checked the per 48minute stats for shot attempts.  1.Wallace 20.5 attempts per 48min. 2. KG 17.7 attempts. 3. Ray 16.8 attempts 4. Paul 16.2 attempts per 48.  There is something seriously wrong with those numbers.  And it's not like Wallace is hitting them, he's just jacking them up.

Yeah it is the way of the biased fan. We're the good guys they're the bad guys. Haven't you ever had a friend who was a jerk? Its kinda like that. You don't really notice it, and when people are ragging on him for something he probably deserves, you defend him. It's how it goes amigo.

[Drucci]

I can't believe the free pass Wallace gets.  Bloggers complain about the character of Nate Robinson, Lebron, Marbury, Iverson, etc.  But we have the biggest jerk in the league on our team- Rasheed.  And what a ballhog.  I just checked the per 48minute stats for shot attempts.  1.Wallace 20.5 attempts per 48min. 2. KG 17.7 attempts. 3. Ray 16.8 attempts 4. Paul 16.2 attempts per 48.  There is something seriously wrong with those numbers.  And it's not like Wallace is hitting them, he's just jacking them up.

You must not have seen a lot of Celtics game this year... your point is totally bogus, you're refering to advanced stats which are totally inacurrate.

It's true that Sheed jacks up 3's sometimes but it's usually when the team has big leads or after he has scored many points in the paint. You can blame for it but if you do then blame Eddie, Ray, Paul, and the rest of the team for shooting from long distance when they have a confortable lead instead of attacking the paint. Sheed isn't the only one to do it.

He is dominant in the post, makes the 2nd unit's offense run in the absence of Marquis because of his size and excellent post moves, he makes good passes, defends very well, gets steals and blocks... but yeah, you're right Sheed is a terrible player who attempts 20 shots per game if you refer to meaningless stats to prove your point.

Sheed can be frustrating at times, like every other player, but I really love his personality and his game. He contributes a lot to this team and we would never have won 11 straight games if he wasn't on this team. It's time for you to get over your personal hate of Sheed and give him credit where credit is due.

Seriously, comparing Sheed to Iverson or Robinson is ridiculous... the guy is one of the rare "we, not me" players in the league and you compare him to the biggest ballhogs of this decade. Stunning.

[MBz]

Meaningless stats?  How about these stats 39% FG %.  29% from behind the arc.  The guy has been pretty bad offensively and takes a ton of bad shots.  I'm not sure what games you have been watching.

[indeedproceed]

Now I'm not saying that Rasheed Wallace loves to take three point shots, but I heard that he makes his kids back up 20 feet before they can throw paper towels in the trash.