Small Forward Gerald Wallace Doubles as Big Rebounder

Gerald Wallace doesn't see this as unusual. He just sees it as a necessity for the Charlotte Bobcats.

Wallace, 6-7, 215 pounds, is bidding to become the smallest rebounding champion in NBA history, an athletic small forward who has ventured into the land of the giants.

"I knew this season we would need a lot of rebounds,'' Wallace told Fanhouse last week. "So I made this (winning the title) one of my goals. I don't spend 95 percent of my time around the basket like the big guys do -- I'm on the perimeter -- but there's no reason I can't win it. Rebounding still is all about desire.''

Wallace, a nine-year veteran, is having his finest NBA season, determined to help lead the Bobcats (14-18) to their first playoff appearance. They go into tonight's game against Chicago riding consecutive upset victories at Miami and Cleveland.

"It (leading the league in rebounding) is a long-shot but it's possible. I don't know if I can keep close to Dwight Howard the way he's played lately, but we can make the playoffs,'' he said. "You can see how we're playing. We're right there.''

Wallace is averaging 11.9 rebounds -- up from his previous career high last season of 7.8 rpg – along with 17.9 points, 1.7 steals and 41.5 minutes. Among NBA leaders, he is tied for first in minutes played, 12th in steals, 31st in scoring, and third in rebounding.

Only Howard (13.3 rpg) of the Magic, and Joakim Noah (12.3 rpg) of the Bulls -- both centers -- have more. Wallace was leading the league earlier this season, but Howard took a commanding lead with his play in recent weeks.

Howard has won the past two rebounding titles. Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo dominated NBA rebounding throughout the previous 10 years. Dennis Rodman, on three different teams, won seven consecutive titles. He, like Gerald Wallace, was listed at 6-7, but he also was 15 pounds heavier and played power forward, rarely venturing away from the basket. Charles Barkley was just 6-6 when he won his rebounding title in 1987, but he weighed 250 pounds.

"Gerald has always been an effective rebounder for his size, but he's taken it to another level now,'' Charlotte coach Larry Brown said before the Bobcats game in Miami last week. "He's improved not just his rebounding, but in every phase of the game.''

A big factor in Wallace's rebounding surge was the trade of center Emeka Okafor -- whose forte was rebounding -- to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler, who has been hurt much of the season. The Bobcats overall are a small team, but they also have excelled defensively and they lead the NBA in fewest points allowed.

Wallace has been in Charlotte since the Bobcats' inception, coming from Sacramento in the expansion draft of 2004. He knows the frustration of losing, but he also has maintained a burning desire to win.

"The thing about rebounding is, I know how big guys think, and I don't mind banging. It's all about who wants the ball more. It comes down to who is willing to put out the extra effort to get it,'' he said. "And I still do that.''

Wallace came into this season with a career average of 5.4 rebounds per game, yet he has had at least nine rebounds in 24 of his 31 games. He had 24 points and 20 rebounds against New Jersey. He was Eastern Conference Player of the Week during November when he averaged 25.3 points and 13.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

He became the first player in franchise history earlier this season to have back-to-back games of a least 30 points and 10 rebounds. There is very little he doesn't do well, which is why he will get serious consideration from the coaches when they selected the All-Star reserves next month.

"I'd like to get to an All-Star Game once in my career,'' he said. "Maybe this (rebounding) will make people notice the things I'm doing right, especially if we're winning.''