Empty the Bench

Love him, hate him, frustrated or endlessly entertained by him–or all of the above–there’s no denying that the Detroit Pistons and its fans have been taken with the conundrum that is Mr. Rasheed Wallace ever since he arrived in the spring of 2004. No matter where you fall in the great ‘Sheed debate, however, Natalie Sitto’s Need4Sheed.com has become a must-visit for all Pistons fans.

That’s because despite the namesake, Need4Sheed.com is hardly just a ‘Sheed fansite. Sitto perfectly meshes her insight on everything Pistons with a unique cartoonish talent that makes the site as colorful as the words spewing from ‘Sheed’s mouth after a particularly bad call by a referee. On top of exhaustive coverage of everything Pistons, Sitto also offers her readers free, downloadable wallpapers, screensavers, and icons; you’ll also find a solid selection of custom-made Pistons merch.

Without further ado, it’s time to hear from Need4Sheed.com’s Natalie Sitto as our NBA Scribes of the NBA Interview Series rolls on.

Empty the Bench: When did your fascination with Rasheed Wallace begin, and what is it about him that resonates with you more than other NBA players?

Natalie Sitto: “Fascination” is a bit of a strong word when it comes to how I feel about ‘Sheed. I have liked his game since he was at North Carolina, and appreciated him in Portland, but his turnaround in Detroit made me realize just what a special player he really is.

The fact that Rasheed could possibly be a better player than he actually is frustrates so many fans. Sure, we would like to see him live up to what he
knows he can do, but that’s just ‘Sheed. He brings something to the court that no one else in the league does. He’s the wildcard. That can be either good or bad, depending on the day.

ETB: New head coach Michael Curry made headlines this past week by insinuating that ‘Sheed needed to get in better shape. Do you think his conditioning, or lack thereof, played a big part in his disappointing performance in last year’s ECF?

Sitto: That’s a tough question; he did start the season in better shape than he had in years. Rasheed is not the only one who may slack off conditioning wise, but I don’t know if that affected his performance in the playoffs. He could have been worn down from shutting down Howard in the Magic series.

Regardless of the real reason, you can’t blame Detroit’s meltdown against the Celtics on Sheed’s conditioning. You can blame the whole team for Game 3 at home… a game I have tried to forget.

ETB: What is the single most underrated aspect of what ‘Sheed brings to the basketball court, and why doesn’t he get more recognition for it?

Sitto: He does get some recognition for his defense, but Ben Wallace got plenty of the credit when he played with him and Tayshaun gets talked up as being the stopper in red, white, and blue now. He moved over to the center position last season and played the bulk of last season trying to lock down opposing bigs.

He can shut just about anyone with no help and can block shots with the best of them. Forget putting up 25 a night: Sheed prides himself in shutting down the best the league has to offer.

More from Natalie Sitto of Need4Sheed.com after the break…

ETB: Be honest: you hate it when ‘Sheed acts mopey and gets that glazed-over, disinterested look on his face during games. I say this as a big ‘Sheed fan myself.

Sitto: Absolutely. I am constantly talking to him from the stands or to the television for him to settle down, pick it up, or shut his mouth. Sometimes his attitude works for him, but most of the time it doesn’t. The angry attitude doesn’t bother me as much as the effect of the disinterested one. The disinterested attitude usually leads to sloppy passes, lazy shots, and turnovers.

When he’s angry and he makes the next shot he attempts, watch out–Sheed’s mad… beware!

ETB: When all is said and done, does Rasheed Wallace deserve a spot in the NBA Hall of Fame? If so, will he get it?

Sitto: Whether he does deserve a spot or not, I don’t think he will get it and he probably doesn’t care. If Rasheed wanted to be a Hall of Fame player he could be. His career numbers aren’t staggering, but he has a championship, he’s been to his share of All-Star Games, and has the talent to be one of the best PFs in the game. He’s got it all but would rather have a ring than his jersey in The Hall.

ETB: A lot of Pistons fans are disappointed there wasn’t a big trade in the offseason and don’t think this team as presently constituted can compete for a title this year. What do you think—does this team have a legitimate shot, and why?

Sitto: I can understand why plenty of fans wanted to see change after last season. Joe Dumars put everyone on the block, but why make a trade just for the sake of making one if it doesn’t make the team better? As Dumars said, he wasn’t having a fire sale. Nothing legitimate came up so he stuck with a bunch that still has plenty of talent.

I can’t image this team not making a run for it all come May. I would be surprised if something doesn’t transpire before the trade deadline, but with the mix of youth and seasoned veterans they have just as much shot as any team in the East to be playing in June.

You also have to look at the East as a whole–no team really made that drastic change that would potentially put them over the hump. Maybe Amir, Stuckey, and Maxiell are just what the Pistons need to get over theirs. With that said, Boston is the team to beat in the East; the champs always are.

ETB: About how much time do you spend a week working on Need4Sheed.com, and what do you enjoy most about running it?

Sitto: During the season it’s at least 15 hours a week. The summer has been slow for Detroit, so I have had a much-needed break, especially after the Boston series. I have said this plenty of times: the best part of doing Need4Sheed is being able to keep in touch with Pistons fans near and far and making sure the displaced ones get as much content as the lucky ones in Detroit.

ETB: One of the funnest parts about the site is your creative usage of cartoonish images for various Detroit Pistons, as well as the photoshopping of in-game images. What kind of artistic background do you have, and where do you get your inspiration for these designs?

Sitto: I had a bit of a graphic design background when I started the site. In fact, I originally started Need4Sheed not as a blog, but to share my Pistons cartoon screensaver and wallpapers with friends and fellow Pistons fans.

Most of my inspiration comes from the specific pictures of the players on court, or their in-game performances. And I’m never opposed of photoshopping Sheed’s face on just about anything if the situation warrants it.

ETB: Matt Watson over at Detroit Bad Boys was asked this same question: can Jason Maxiell be the starting power forward for a team harboring serious title ambitions?

Sitto: Jason Maxiell has it all in a big-yet-maybe-undersized package. There is no reason that a team with him in the starting lineup can’t take it all. In fact, it may help the team to have Jason take up the bulk of the minutes so Antonio McDyess and Rasheed don’t burn out. Also, he eats babies, remember?

ETB: Fill in the blank: Rasheed Wallace is the most _____

Sitto: … unpredictable player in the game who can put up a double-double on a nightly basis, but prefers to take a backseat to get his team in the win column. He’s simply SHEED-tastic.

Recommended Reading at Need4Sheed.com:

- Antonio McDyess - Perfect Southern Gentleman and Sheed Fan
- Happy SheedDay!
- Is Rodney Stuckey Really That Good?
- Boston Takes Charge - Back to Detroit Down 3-2
- The Pistons Pick Up a Sleeper in the Draft… Literally

More ETB’s Scribes of the NBA Interview Series:

- J.E. Skeets of Yahoo!’s Ball Don’t Lie
- David Friedman of 20 Second Timeout
- Ron Hitley of Hornets 24/7
- Ryne “Odenized” Nelson of SLAMonline
- Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty and FanHouse
- Brett Hainline of Queen City Hoops
- Dave Deckard of Blazer’s Edge
- Kurt of Forum Blue and Gold
- Brian Powell of Awful Announcing
- Lee Grammier of The Dream Shake
- Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead
- Scott Carefoot of Raptor Blog
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Part 1
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Part 2
- Matt Watson of AOL FanHouse and Detroit Bad Boys
- Natalie Sitto of Need4Sheed.com