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Thursday, February 15, 2001
Wallace putting up big numbers, causing big problems



TEMPER, TEMPER
Rasheed Wallace was ejected from Thursday night's game against Sacramento for arguing with an official in the third quarter.

Wallace extended his technical total to 29 after receiving two from referee Ron Garretson. Last season, Wallace set an NBA record with 38 technicals.

It was the fourth ejection for Wallace this season and his second in three games. The All-Star was suspended for two games for throwing a towel at referee Gary Benson after Wallace was ejected in a victory over Phoenix on Feb. 1.

Garretson called Wallace for an offensive foul with 8:02 left in the third quarter and the Blazers ahead by 15 points. Wallace said something to Garretson and walked toward him, and teammate Damon Stoudamire rushed up to the official to try and push him away. But it was too late.

Wallace kept arguing, and Garretson issued another technical, resulting in an automatic ejection.

PORTLAND, Ore. – It was the most explosive outburst of Rasheed Wallace's 5-1/2 year NBA career: In the fourth quarter of the Portland Trail Blazers' victory over Phoenix on Feb. 1, Wallace was ejected by referee Gary Benson and became so incensed that he charged at the official and threw a towel that grazed his face.

The image of Wallace spewing profanity at Benson, held back by teammates and coaches, was surprising, even considering the player's turbulent history. Wallace was suspended for two games and fined $10,000.

But two weeks later the Blazers, with the best record in the Western Conference, dismiss the incident as no big deal.

"If he cares too much and is too excited about it, that's part of his makeup," Portland president and general manager Bob Whitsitt says. "But (for) all these people that decide that they're psychologists and can't even spell the word -- and I'm not saying I am either -- these are not new subjects. Right now we're a first-place basketball team. But they always want to find things they don't like."

Others, however, including some real psychologists, see deeper problems with the talented yet volatile player.

Wallace's inability to control his anger threatens the stability of his team and even his playing career, they say. Furthermore, his recent blowup – and the relatively light punishment he received for it – could signal worse trouble to come.

I don't care what y'all cats think about me, because you're not in my inner circle. The only people I care about are my wife and kids, my mom and brother, close friends to the family. Anybody outside my circle, I could care less. You could say that I'm a mean guy, or you could say I killed the president or whatever. It doesn't matter to me.
Rasheed Wallace

"It doesn't stop at one level. It escalates," said Tom Tutko, a respected sports psychologist and retired professor at San Jose State University.

"If you're not going to be punished for this kind of behavior, it just moves up a notch. `Not only am I going to throw a towel in the official's face, I'm going to deck the official. If they're just going to slap me on the wrist for something this serious, why not keep doing it?"'

A former colleague of Tutko's is Bruce Ogilvie, who was the Blazers' team psychologist from its first year, 1970, until coach Jack Ramsey left in 1986. Ogilvie, 80, said Wallace clearly needs anger-management counseling.

"If I was his shrink, I'd be working with him one-on-one. I'd be seeing him at least five times a week to see what's going on," he told The Oregonian.

Between the lines, Wallace, 26, is having his finest season. The 6-foot-11 power forward's averages of 19.3 points and 8.2 rebounds are career highs. Last Sunday he played in his second straight All-Star Game. On Tuesday night, he had a typically solid game: 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while forcing Kevin Garnett to commit five turnovers in Portland's 109-88 rout of Minnesota, which snapped the Timberwolves' 11-game winning streak.

Then there's the dark side. Wallace has 29 technical fouls, ahead of the pace to break the NBA record of 38 he set last season. He's been ejected four times – including two of his last three games – and during his suspension, the Blazers lost to the L.A. Clippers, 90-89.

"You always worry about being at risk for him getting thrown out of the game," coach Mike Dunleavy said after the Phoenix game.

Wallace's teammates unequivocally support him, praising his selfless play and desire. But even they hint that he needs to chill out.

"Sometimes he may overdo it with the refs," Dale Davis said. "We all have problems with the officials, but sometimes you have to just let it go. That's Rasheed's biggest problem, letting it go."

Wallace refuses to enlighten the outside world about his motives. He routinely declines requests for interviews, unless they are required by the league. Wallace was forced to endure such a mandatory session at Media Day during All-Star weekend in Washington, D.C.

After a profanity-laced introduction in which he declared that the subjects of technicals and referees were off-limits, Wallace made no apologies for who he is, and said flatly that the opinions of others meant nothing to him.

"I don't care what y'all cats think about me, because you're not in my inner circle," he said. "The only people I care about are my wife and kids, my mom and brother, close friends to the family. Anybody outside my circle, I could care less. You could say that I'm a mean guy, or you could say I killed the president or whatever. It doesn't matter to me."

As an organization, the Blazers have defended, and protected, Wallace. The night of the Suns game, spokeswoman Sue Carpenter pointed out that Wallace never has been in trouble with the law.

"This is not a case of Jason Kidd beating his wife," she said.

When Whitsitt was asked a couple years ago whether Wallace needed counseling, he scoffed at the idea. Asked the same question this week, Whitsitt also made a reference to Kidd – this one more subtle – to play down Wallace's behavior.

"I think what you really need to focus on is, what's a guy like off the court? Is this guy having criminal charges, does he have domestic violence cases? Absolutely not. This guy's a pillar in the community and is a great person."

Tutko, 69, said the Blazers' reaction has the affect of absolving Wallace of any responsibility. Tutko said Wallace is a case study of the "aggression-frustration hypothesis," a theory developed decades ago that contends some people, when extremely frustrated, take it out on others.

"It's the child with the exploding temper tantrum," Tutko said. "`It's not my fault, you made me do it. I should have made the shot.' We interpret that childish behavior as competitive behavior, but it's not."

Tutko said teams and fans are partly to blame because they have such high expectations of athletes, and that aggression and fearlessness – highly valued qualities that can contribute to victory – are difficult to "compartmentalize" in everyday life.

But he notes that the Michael Jordan seldom lost his cool.

"Players who accept responsibility get better. People who blame others stay at the same level," he said.

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