Al Horford should follow lead of Gerald Wallace

[gsuteke]

Wallace: Days as power forward are over

RICK BONNELL

rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com

Charlotte Bobcat Gerald Wallace made it clear at practice Monday that just because he can play power forward doesn't mean he should play power forward.

"I think my time at the 4 (position) is done," Wallace said, following his first full-contact practice since suffering a concussion Feb. 22 against the Sacramento Kings.

Wallace expects he'll be well enough to play Wednesday in Dallas. However, he's asked the coaches to stop using him at power forward, to cut down on collisions with bigger players. He's suffered at least four concussions in his 3-plus seasons as a Bobcat.

"It was fine playing 4, but I'd be better off out on the wing," Wallace said of returning to the small forward position.

It's not uncommon for Wallace (6-7 and 215 pounds) to give up 40 pounds and 4 inches in height to the man he guards as a power forward.

Coach Sam Vincent missed practice Monday because of a stomach virus, but he said previously he had misgivings about continuing to use Wallace at power forward, because of the risks involved.

Wallace practiced as a reserve Monday during a scrimmage of about an hour. He showed flashes of his 20-points-per-night explosiveness, once grabbing a rebound, dribbling end-to-end, and finishing with an emphatic dunk.

Wallace said he felt no ill effects from the concussion after practice and retained more conditioning than he anticipated, following a layoff of more than two weeks.

Teammate Jason Richardson said the starters pushed Wallace hard Monday, looking to accelerate his conditioning. When Wallace returns to the starting lineup, Richardson would likely move from small forward back to shooting guard.

The Bobcats are on a team-record five-game winning streak during which Richardson and two other wing players - Matt Carroll and rookie Jared Dudley - have thrived.

Wallace said he doesn't anticipate immediately playing 40 minutes a night and is conscious of not disrupting what's worked so well in his absence.

"I'm a team player and I'll do what it takes to win," Wallace said. "They don't have to adjust to me, I have to adjust to them

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[PureGreatness]

i think Josh Smith AND Al Horford should follow wallaces foot steps. just because u CAN a position doesnt mean you should. just because Josh Smith CAN play the 4 doesnt mean he SHOULD.he should play the 3. Al Horford CAN play the 5 that doesnt mean he should. he should be playing the 4. thats my opinion and im sticking to it.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

(( taking like Rick Pitino ))

"Tree Rollins isn't coming through that door folks. Dikembe Mutumbo isn't coming through that door."

To play Smoove at the 3, and Horford at the 4, means Zaza or Solo has to play the 5, and Marvin goes to the bench.

The Hawks do what they have to do. Smoove and Zaza may not like it, but you won't see Horford complain about playing center. He knows that, for the good of the team, he has to play there.

[gsuteke]

Or the Hawks can make a move at Diop or Mbenga (extreme example) or they can trade one of their pieces for a draft pick that will net them one of the bigs coming out this year.

[Plainview1981]

I'm not understanding the big deal about playing center. It's not like the league has a boatload of good centers.

[PureGreatness]

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Or the Hawks can make a move at Diop or Mbenga (extreme example) or they can trade one of their pieces for a draft pick that will net them one of the bigs coming out this year.

thats what im saying. get diop this offseason for chilldress. and bring marvin off the bench

[BusBoyIsBack]

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I'm not understanding the big deal about playing center. It's not like the league has a boatload of good centers.

Exactly. There is much more talent at the PF position and giving up 4 inches and 40 pounds is far more problematic than anything Horford runs into outside Yao Ming.

And Horford has a frame to gain 15-20 more pounds which allow him to be even more of an anchor at that position.

Dude is nearly averaging a double double as a rookie as a 4th option. Even with as much growth as he has to make offensively with improved 12-15th footer, improved knack for scoring in the post, and the strength he could add, he's still a top 15 C.

With the right work ethic he could get to top 10 as soon as next season

[Atlantaholic]

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I'm not understanding the big deal about playing center. It's not like the league has a boatload of good centers.

Yeah. Horford is fine at Center.

Our problem is depth in the frontcourt, not Horf at C.

[thefloydian]

Wow, I didn't know Wallace was playing the 4. That's pretty impressive considering his size. I always thought of him as a 2.

[Lascar78]

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i think Josh Smith AND Al Horford should follow wallaces foot steps. just because u CAN a position doesnt mean you should. just because Josh Smith CAN play the 4 doesnt mean he SHOULD.he should play the 3. Al Horford CAN play the 5 that doesnt mean he should. he should be playing the 4. thats my opinion and im sticking to it.

You do not want to play Smith at the 3. His handles will get exposed, his man defense will get considerably worse, and he won't be near the paint to get all of his help blocks.

That is one of our big problems, 2 of our top 3 players play the same position. Sadly, Horford is better at 5 than Smith is at 3, but it's not fair to Horford to play him there, and it limits how much we can get out of him.