Gerald Wallace Unsure About New Bench Role in Boston

Celtics forward Gerald Wallace has been quite outspoken since his arrival in Beantown. Despite pleas from the coaching staff to pipe down, Wallace continues to voice his displeasure with the struggling Celtics. The veteran is perplexed (read: frustrated) about his demotion to the bench. Per the Boston Herald and Globe: “It’s hard,’ Wallace said. ‘It’s like starting from scratch zero with this team and trying to figure out what direction they’re headed in and what pieces they’re going to put together. For me, I’ve already been through that situation. I was on an expansion team in Charlotte. I’ve established myself. To have to start all over on a team that’s starting from scratch is very difficult.’ For a guy in his 13th season, the fit seems difficult at best. Wallace, who arrived from the Nets in the offseason blockbuster trade that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn, is still a good player and would probably be more in place as a complementary piece of a team looking to win now. And one could wonder what his long-term value is on a club building for the future. In light of this, it’s not surprising to learn that the Celts have tried to discuss Wallace in trades, though with $10.1 million coming his way this season and the next two, the options are limited in this regard. ‘My thing about that is I don’t ask for trades,’ Wallace said. ‘I don’t like to be traded. You know, once I get a place where I’m comfortable, I just want to know what’s expected of me and what my role is. For a guy that goes out and puts 110 percent of himself into it, you’re giving your all and you just want to know that. This is nothing against coach Brad (Stevens). Everyone has to figure out how we need to play with each other and how we can play together defensively and offensively to get the best out of each other. The thing is, the season starts so fast. It’s more like learning on the job. It’s not like college where you have that time to get to work as a team and grow and understand and see your players. In fairness to coach Stevens, he’s having to watch during the season to figure out his rotations and what guys like to do and how they play. I mean, that’s tough because these games actually count.’ […] Wallace said he isn’t accustomed to coming off the bench. ‘I don’t know. This is the first time for me. I never came off the bench, other than about three years in Sacramento, where they were garbage minutes,’ he said. ‘I’ve always been a starter. I worked my tail off in the league to become a starter. It’s something that’s new to me. I approach the role the same way I did as a starter, and see what I can do from there.'”