Wallace: 'That's the end, man'
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS -- You might be wondering what Rasheed Wallace had to say after his dreadful performance in the Pistons' season-ending loss to the Celtics Friday.
Here you go: "That's the end, man."
There's probably more to that short sentence than even he knows. It was the end of the season. It was the end, most likely, of Flip Saunders' coaching tenure. It was the end of Lindsey Hunter's playing career.
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It might be the end of this core group of Pistons and it might be the end of Wallace's time in Detroit.
Wallace has one more season on his contract, and the plan has always been to let him play out that final year, even if his role is reduced.
But, for the second straight year, Wallace flamed out in the conference finals. Last year, he openly defied Saunders' defensive calls in Game 5 against Cleveland, then got himself thrown out of Game 6.
This year, the season ended with earning a $25,000 fine from the league for bashing the referees after Game 5, coming late to shoot-around Friday morning and playing one of the worst playoff games of his career.
He managed just four points, missing 10 of 12 shots (0 for 6 from three-point range) and three turnovers.
Pistons president Joe Dumars gave Wallace a pass after last season. You wonder if he will give him another.
"You could say it's a lot of things, but like I told the guys, at the end of the day, when we lose, we all look bad," Richard Hamilton said. "We all look bad. We know what it takes to win and when we don't do it, it's on us."