Portland Trail Blazers banking on Gerald Wallace to deliver in the 2011-12 NBA season
Portland Trail Blazers achieved a 48-34 record in the 2010-11 season and ended at the 6th spot in the Western Conference. This effort pitched them against the Dallas Mavericks, who ejected the Trail Blazers from the
first round of the playoffs 4-2 and then went on to win the NBA Championship.
Although the Trail Blazers lost out against the resurgent Mavs, the fact cannot be denied that they made a decent run in the regular season. LaMarcus Aldridge was considered as the key behind franchise decent run, as he carried
the burden on his shoulders most of the times. However, one cannot forget the valuable contributions of small forward Gerald Wallace. Without Gerald’s support late in the season, achieving a 48-34 record wasn’t going to be easy for both the Trail Blazers and
Aldridge.
Wallace played only 23 games for the Trail Blazers, as he was acquired from the Charlotte Bobcats in the middle of the previous season. In these 23 games Wallace scored with an average of 15.8 points, grasped 7.6 rebounds and wrecked
2.5 assists per game that helped the Trail Blazers great deal.
His performance had definitely thrilled the Trail Blazers fans if not overjoyed. Portland’s coach Nate McMillan put the light on Wallace’s performance during an interview few days after his trade.
McMillan said, "Toughness, versatility. He [Wallace] can play the three or the four. You can give him the ball and he can play with the basketball. Good rebounder; a guy who can get out and run, and allow you to make some adjustments.
If you want to go small, you can go small, but not feel as small as we were...his outside shot has improved, but he has been a guy that you could give him the ball and he can score."
McMillan also mentioned Wallace’s diverse approach towards the game that made him a flexible player, who can adjust according to the situation. Moreover, Gerald is too tough for weak and long-limbed forwards, but for the bigger
size and sluggish forwards Wallace is too nippy and smart.
When Portland’s journey came to an end in the previous season, Wallace proved his coach right by playing up to his expectations. Still some may consider his scoring average bit scruffy, but if they look at the scenario in which
Wallace had achieved these stats with the Trail Blazers they will come to know that he didn’t had much time to get to know how things were run in his new team, but still he swiftly adjusted himself accordingto the new game plan.
Gerald definitely deserves praise for pulling such a commendable effort in this short span of time because shifting from one team to another in the middle of the season isn’t that easy.
Apart from this the thing that separates him from other forwards in the league, is his defensive play that has a lot of variance. Over that his speed and vigilance makes him even more effective against the opponent guards at the
same time his strong built and 6 ft. 7 height enables him to limit the opposing forwards too.
Since this was Wallace’s first season with the Trail Blazers, so the coach didn’t get enough time to fully utilize him or learn about his full potential. However, in the next season McMillan would definitely look to explore Gerald’s
talents and will also look to exploit them to the fullest.
With new addition Raymond Felton now in the starting line-up (Wallace, Felton, Aldridge, Wesley Mathews and either one of Marcus Camby or Greg Oden) of the Trail Blazers has taken up a fine shape and is looking like a complete
team after a long, long time. So now the Trail Blazers have better chances of making deep in the next playoffs, which they were looking forward to for a long time now.
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