Wally's Back?
Wally Szczerbiak has been in the news lately, which is odd considering that he hasn't been playing. There are three interesting Wally tidbits to cover today. The first, and by far most important, is that W-Szcz has been activated and is now ready to play. Well, supposedly ready to play. To hear Wally tell it, he had a great practice, and !poof!, Wally goes from being out a couple more weeks to being activated. Hope they aren't rushing him; twice in his career he has tried to come back early from injury, only to hurt himself even more.
Having Wally on the court gives this team the other offensive weapon it so desperately needs; it also hopefully relegates Anthony Peeler to towel-waving duty on the bench. Of course, Wally won't do anything to help prevent people like Matt Harpring or Amare Stoudamire go off for season or career-highs, but the Wolves will be happy to solve one huge problem at a time. Of course, having Wally back also deprives this team of one of its best excuses for a lackluster start to the season. If they continue to plod along in their fight to be eliminated in the first round for the eighteenth consecutive year, will they start to blame it on Terrell Brandon's injury? Why not lament Michael Williams some more, too?
The other news items require a bit of creative thinking, but I think there's much to be learned from some of the things you hear Wally say. I'm one of those people who likes to "read between the lines" (RBTL). For example:
In an article yesterday in the Strib about Rasho Nesterovich's improvement and impending free agency, Wally is quoted extensively, because he is one of Rasho's only friends on the team. (RBTL: Garnett heads a clique that Wally and Rasho aren't invited into.) Apparently, Garnett, Saunders and McHale have all ridden Rasho pretty hard the last few years in an effort to get him to improve, or at least appear to not be an extra in Night Of The Living Dead Soft Post Players. Rasho apparently still has some emotional scars from the experience. Wally wondered alound in the interview why you would ride a nice, soft-spoken guy like Rasho to bring him down, as opposed to trying to instill confidence in him. (RBTL: Wally doesn't understand why Flip and McHale let Garnett run the team.) That's a legit question, but one that can't really be answered by anyone on the outside. Maybe Rasho needs a kick in the ass; maybe he needs a hug. Who knows?
What's notable is that Wally is speaking out. Yesterday, he spoke out in favor of Rasho, while not-so-subtly questioning the tactics of the organization in handling some of their players. It has long been known that KG runs the show at Target Center; if KG decides he wants to approach a player a certain way, are McHale and Saunders going to correct him? Doesn't seem likely, given what we know. The list of people who have ever been associated with this organization that have ever spoken out against KG in public is a very, very short one. By my count, it consists of Christian Laettner and W-Szcz. Laettner was on his way out the door, and KG handled that very well, at least publicly. But Wally speaking out is another thing entirely, and he does it ALL THE TIME. He talks about the "offense we run", and it's well-known that he doesn't care for it. He has said things like "They tell me to stand in the corner and wait for the ball," or "The lane is so clogged with our post people, it's hard to penetrate and get your own shot." (RBTL: Whatever KG wants, KG gets.) He talks about Rasho's impending free agency, and he says "if Rasho doesn't like some of the things that have happened here, it's his prerogative to move on". (RBTL: Wally doesn't blame Rasho for wanting to leave) Hmmm...
So then, today, the very next day, as Wally is activated, underrated post grunt Reggie Slater is waived for cap reasons. Saunders tells the Strib how hard it was to do it, but that's the league today. So who does the Strib go for a quote on the players' side? Well, who would you go to? Wally said: "That guy came to work every day. It's a crying shame." Hmmm...
Now, maybe Wally agrees that it's a part of the league, and it's too bad. But maybe Wally is also saying that he doesn't agree with some of the decisions that have been made. Wally's got a big mouth, and he's not afraid to use it. And frankly, as much as I love KG, I think this team needs to hear what Wally has to say. Whatever they've been doing, it hasn't worked for seven years now. Maybe they are too insular; maybe the lockerroom does need additional strong voices.
I'm betting it won't happen. I think Wally's being showcased; if he's not dealt this year, I expect him to move before next season. It's one thing to not mesh on the court; it's another to openly question the franchise player, the GM, and the coach, even if there might be some truth in what you say.
Missed It By That Much...
I had thought Denver would win their December 30 game at home against Seattle. They lost by 2, but then beat Seattle on the road four nights later. What's happening to Seattle? Brent Barry is hurt, for one thing. Anybody watching that club closely enough to tell what else is going wrong?
10:37:57 AM 
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