Just Sheed Being Sheed?

Rasheed Wallace is probably my least favorite player currently in the NBA.  He is one of my least favorite of all time.  And he is my third least favorite player to ever don a Portland Trail Blazers jersey (with Bonzi Wells and Raymond Felton tying at 1A and 1B, but that is for another day).

When I think of Rasheed, a few notable moments come to mind: his (deservedly so) tirade of rogue NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, following an ejection in his infamous 41 technical season; throwing a towel in Arvydas Sabonis's face which pretty much encapsulates the Jail Blazers era; his infamous declaration that he doesn't care who he plays for as long as they "cut the check"; and finally, three words that are heard on blacktops around the world, "ball don't lie".

Ball don't lie is the perfect example of Sheed being Sheed, as many like to say.  As if the basketball gods were looking down at the game, forced the player who so unjustifiably received a call (likely against Rasheed) to miss his free throw and that suggests that Rasheed was the victim of a bad call.  When that free throw is missed, Rasheed is cleansed of his sins and confirms that he is a martyr.

So when Rasheed was ejected in just one minute and twenty-five seconds on Sunday for his slap to the face of Luis Scola and his "ball don't lie" comment on the subsequent miss, people laughed as expected.  But then something ridiculous happened.  Fans started asking whether Rasheed should have been ejected for his comment.  I mean, he has been saying it for years.  People don't really take him that seriously anymore when he says it.  Like I said, it is said on courts from kids who barely dribble with one hand to adult men's leagues.  It's just Sheed being Sheed.

No, it's not.  And frankly, I applaud the officials for calling the second technical so quickly and putting an end to the mockery.  Just because a player acts like a jackass for his entire career does not mean he gets a free pass for acting like a jackass at the end of it.

NBA TV had a question scroll across the bottom line tonight asking if fans thought that Rasheed's ejection was an overreaction because it was just "Sheed being Sheed."

Overreaction?  Seriously?  Rasheed has overstayed his welcome in the NBA, both with his play and his attitude.  And I will admit, I laughed the first couple of times I heard Sheed say it.  It's such a phenomenally stupid train of logic, one can't help it.  But there was a time and a place, and Sunday was neither.

You don't get a free pass for stupidity in perpetuity.  Now if only somebody could convince him of that.