Gerald Wallace didn’t want to hear rumors Thursday, no matter how reliable the information, no matter who was sharing it.
So when his agent passed along word he’d be named an All-Star hours later, Wallace cut him off.
“If you’re not 100 percent sure,’’ Wallace said, “then I don’t want to be crushed later’’ if he’s wrong.
No such worry. Wallace, the last original Charlotte Bobcat, is also the franchise’s first All-Star. The Eastern Conference coaches selected him as one of seven reserves.
That makes for a busy All-Star Weekend Feb. 12-15 in Dallas, at the Cowboys’ new domed stadium. Wallace already committed to the slam-dunk contest and he has no plans to rescind that decision.
To coach Larry Brown, this meant other coaches saw the same qualities in Wallace that Brown does every day.
“The thing that stands out to me is how badly he wants to be great,’’ Brown told the Observer. “He plays hurt, he doesn’t miss practices and he plays as many minutes (42 per game) as anybody in the league.”
Wallace has raised his game significantly in the 1 1/2 seasons since Brown took over. He’s become a better shooter from the foul line (76 percent) and the 3-point line (36 percent). And he’s on pace to finish a season as a double-figure rebounder for the first time as a pro.
“I feel kind of relieved – this was a personal goal. But as I’ve said, I’d rather be in the playoffs’’ than be an All-Star, Wallace said. “I hope this is a jump-start to that playoff run.’
