NBA legend Bill Walton has a hard time talking without causing interest. The man clears his throat and a room goes quiet. Even for the casual fan, it’s always worth listening.

Walton told an interesting story during an interview for a Grantland story on Arvydas Sabonis regarding the infamous towel-incident with with Rasheed Wallace.

Walton, who was broadcasting the game nationally, still feels remorse over the incident. “It was one of the lowest moments of my life,” he said. “If I was any kind of a man, I would have got up from that broadcast table and walked across the court and punched Rasheed Wallace in the nose. But I let Sabonis and the game of basketball and the human race down that day.”

The human race somehow survived.

Stephen A. Smith appeared on The Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday and reported that Rasheed Wallace told him that he wants to rejoin the Celtics. Smith told Patrick that Wallace would like to come out of retirement for another chance at an NBA title, specifically against the Lakers.

Wallace averaged 9.0 points with the Celtics in a disappointing 2009-10 regular season, but the 15-year veteran was a significant contributor in the postseason, including an 11-point, eight-rebound effort against the Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

However, WEEI.com’s Paul Flannery notes that a return by Wallace is improbable.

Perhaps it’s for the best that Rasheed Wallace has retired.

According to an ESPN report, the league expanded the guideline on calling technical fouls during the referees’ annual meeting in Jersey City, N.J., on Thursday, making “overt” player reactions reason for a ‘T.’ As if Wallace, the all-time NBA leader in technical fouls, needed any help in that department. According to new guidelines, a player may receive a technical foul for:

– Running directly at the ref to complain.

– Questioning a call excessively, even if in a calm manner.

– Making aggressive gestures, such as air punches, on the court.

– Using demonstrative disagreement, such as hitting his own arms to demonstrate how he was fouled.

Though similar crackdowns have been discussed in years prior, most notably 2005-06, league officials expect enforcement to increase and the rules to stick this time around. “Heat of the moment” reactions are tolerable, as are discussions with referees, but the intensity levels of these actions will be under increased scrutiny.

Maybe every foul called on LeBron James won’t be the first any more.

Greg Cameron gave Boston a technical introduction to Wallace on Monday, but there’s no doubt all eyes will be watching this afternoon as the big man is formally introduced.

Press conferences have always been something of a spectacle, but Boston has seen its fair share of introductions that put others to shame. Bill Parcells warranted the governor’s attention back in 1993, and remember the time the Sox brought that Matsuzaka guy over from Japan?

Very few thought John Smoltz would ever be introduced to a city outside of Georgia, so seeing the Braves legend in a Sox cap in January was a headline-grabber to say the least.

But enough about the Pats and Red Sox, this day is about the Celtics, who have had plenty of big-time introductions of their own. Before getting to the one that brought banner 17 to Boston, who could forget Rick Pitino? With fresh, new banners made up for the FleetCenter hanging behind him, the local hero was all but sworn in as Mayor of Boston. Dan Shaughnessy used up an entire column back in ’97 listing all of the things Pitino already knew about the town when he came here. By the time he left, he probably knew a few more things, including which retired players aren’t walking through a certain door.

The biggest non-international press conference in recent memory has to be the one that followed the Kevin Garnett acquisition. What made it so incredible was the way the Celtics went about it by re-introducing Paul Pierce and Ray Allen along with him. They weren’t pushing KG on Boston, they were pushing an idea, and one that the entire city believed in once they saw the new Big Three, Boston Three Party, or whatever else they wanted to be called.

The promotion of that idea continues as Wallace enters the fold. On Sunday Mike Mutnansky rightfully joked that the Celtics are borderline elderly these days, but thanks to what these three guys have done, nobody seems to care. Is there anybody left that still damns Ainge for giving up on Al Jefferson? Is anybody totally up in arms about letting Leon Powe go? The Celtics have placed an incredible emphasis on experience these last couple of years, and it’s led to fantastic results. And for those who do feel that old age will bite the Green in the you-know-what this season, Wallace at the very least can serve as tremendous insurance in case KG goes down again.

"I guess I hate the Yankees now."

Whether it’s the delayed signing of J.D. Drew, or the poor translating at the Matsuzaka introduction, Boston has never shied away from a good ol’ press conference. Even when the Sox brought on a former enemy in David Wells, there were smiles across New England, and the affinity for introductions doesn’t end there.

Tell me you weren’t watching, fists-clenched each time as the Yankees introduced Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, and Mark Teixeira, and I’ll kindly tell you to get your morning links and videos elsewhere. Likewise, the folks in New York couldn’t have exactly been thrilled when Curt Schilling dropped his famous quote after hitchhiking from Arizona.

There may be no politicians or Japanese media surrounding Wallace as he holds up his green No. 30 jersey today, but one thing is for sure: you, along with the rest of New England and NBA fans, will be watching.

Good morning New England!

Today, we’re going to take a look at the ever-colorful career of the newest Celtic, Rasheed Wallace. As WEEI.com’s Jeff Goodman reported, the 34-year-old forward/center agreed to a two-year deal worth the mid-level exception, in the neighborhood of 5.6-5.8 million dollars.

Let’s kick things off at the chronological beginning of the high profile career of Rasheed Wallace. Wallace was a standout player for Simon Gratz High School. ‘Sheed even played in the 1993 McDonald’s All-America Game.

Within the pages of the score book, Wallace’s meager nine points don’t exactly stand out against future UNC teammate Jerry Stackhouse’s 27 points. However, ‘Sheed made his presence felt by being the only player in the 30-year histroy of the game to be T’d up and tossed.

Technical fouls are nothing to new to Wallace, as he has garnered quite a few of them throughout his career. Some have come in key playoff games, some, like last year’s 19, happen during the regular season.

In fact, Wallace averages close to 22 technicals a season! It appears that Kendrick Perkins (sixth in the league with a dozen) has some major catching up to do.

Rasheed Wallace, however, may be known for one of the most infamous NBA arrests in recent memory as he and Trailblazers teammate Damon Stoudamire were booked on marijuana possession charges in late 2002. The arrest helped spawn one of the most infamous NBA squads of all-time in the Portland “Jailblazers.”

Wallace is also one of the most loquacious players in the league. Whether he’s doing his best Joe Namath impression during the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, talking about how both teams played that night, or how ex-teammate Ben Wallace was to recieve NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors, it isn’t difficult to get his opinion on things.

However, if you’re Oregonian scribe John Canzano, you know all too well about the temper of Rasheed Wallace. Scroll down about a quarter of the way down for Canzano’s ‘Sheed anecdote involving a very unfriendly Wallace.

Finally, Rasheed Wallace will give you, the fan, a song and dance while he’s a member of your team. Just ask Pistons fans over the last few years, they’ll certainly tell you.

And finally, now with the Celtics addition of Wallace, one can only hope that the C’s will pull off some Christmas carols, much like a few Pistons did last year. Needless to say, James Lord Pierpont’s original version of this song has undertaken a little bit of a facelift, thanks to ‘Sheed.

With all of that said–Welcome to Boston (and LEEInks), Rasheed Wallace!