Today, we continue the 2012-13 Brooklyn Nets roster preview for the upcoming season. Let’s take a look at Gerald Wallace.
Wallace was picked up by the Nets in a mid-season trade that sent Shawne Williams, Mehmet Okur and a 2012 top 3 protected first round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in-exchange for Wallace. Once he joined the team, the underdog forward made it seem like the Nets had a slight chance to make the playoffs at one point.
To me, Wallace has always been that type of guy that get’s overlooked. In the 2007-08 season with the Charlotte Bobcats, he averaged 19.4 points and 3.5 assists per game. Both of those numbers are career high bests for him. When he joined the Nets, Wallace played started in all of his 16 games. He averaged 15.2 points per game and averaged 6.8 rebounds per game.
Once the season ended, the Nets took the chance on trying to keep Wallace. Re-signing the forward would play a big part in the decision-making of point guard Deron Williams who was leaning on signing with the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason. Luckily for the Nets, Wallace signed a four-year, $40 million contract and will be part of a Brooklyn team that is extremely hungry and extremely overdue for a playoff run.
This season Wallace is going to play an even bigger role than just adding supplement to the starting lineup. He is going to have to be able to score points at will and supplement rebounding numbers with guys like Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries. He cannot sit back and not be part of this team. It will be time for Wallace to fill even bigger shoes than ever before.
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