Cheeks confident Wallace will make good coach

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ORLANDO -- Detroit was playing Oklahoma City in the Orlando Pro Summer League on Tuesday, and sitting on the Detroit bench was Philadelphia native and Simon Gratz alum, Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace’s NBA playing days are over, but Tuesday he starts a new chapter in his basketball career, joining the Pistons as an assistant coach to Maurice Cheeks.

“He never expressed interest in coaching, but I called him to see if he wanted to do it. And he said he wanted to do it,” Cheeks said. “I am excited about it.”

Wallace played 16 seasons in the NBA -- two and a half of those were for Cheeks when the former Sixers guard was the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2004, Wallace was traded from Portland to Atlanta and 10 days later, the Hawks moved him to Detroit.

The 6-foot-10 big man was the missing piece that helped Detroit secure the NBA championship later that spring.

Wallace was absolutely a special NBA talent, but he also had a tendency to lose his cool on the court and occasionally off the court as well. Many wouldn't look at Wallace as coaching material. Cheeks saw differently.

“If they looked at the way he played the game ... and not at some of the things that he did, they would know that he was a very valuable player on the court and he understood the game,” Cheeks said. “He was very smart in the game, and I am thinking he has the ability to transfer that over to a lot of guys we have.

“We have a lot of young guys. In particular, we have Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond,” Cheeks continued. “[Wallace's] forte, of course, was shooting the basketball, but for me his main forte was the way he talked on defense, covered the court defensively, getting to a certain area. I am hoping he will pass that on to our young big guys, and while it may not look like he would be an ideal coach, I think he will be very good at it.”

Wallace is not the only Philadelphia native venturing to the sideline for the first time this week. Germantown Academy and Villanova standout Alvin Williams, formerly a scout for the Raptors, is now an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics.

“Toronto management changed and they went a whole new direction and got new people,” Williams said. “When that happened, Jay Larranaga, player development for the Celtics, he gave me a call about working the summer league. So it is a trial period, but hopefully things pan out. But all the other teams are getting an opportunity to see me too.”

After finishing his nine-year NBA playing career, Williams said he was looking for an opportunity to stay involved in the game. Through scouting he got to know some younger players and realized the impact he could have on their careers, both on and off the court, if he went into coaching.

Should Williams’ trial period work out and land him a permanent coaching job in Boston, he sees in the Celtics an organization that, like the Sixers, is rebuilding with a plan.

“You have teams now that build through the draft -- it’s harder now because these guys are so much younger and also through free agency,” Williams said. “Fortunately, Boston has such rich tradition that it isn’t hard to attract free agents and Danny Ainge has been doing a good job through trades to also bring in talent, so we will see what happens.

“I think with the new coach (Brad Stevens), I think it is a brilliant thing or it can be. They can start fresh. He is a young coach. They got younger players, so that is a good mold because he has a good feel for younger players coming from college. Danny Ainge did his research and he has had his eye on him for a long time, so I think it is a good thing for the Celtics.”

And for those wondering if putting on a Celtics golf shirt is tough for Williams given his Philly roots, he admitted it is before smiling and saying, “I am getting used to it.”

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