Pistons < Spurs
08-11-2006, 08:36 PM
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060811/SPORTS03/608110396/1051
Hamilton OK with Ben choosing money NBA
August 11, 2006
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BY SHANNON SHELTON
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Richard Hamilton thought Ben Wallace would be a Piston for life.
But life turned out to be six seasons after Wallace signed a four-year, $60-million deal with the Chicago Bulls during the off-season, ending his Pistons career.
While Hamilton will miss having Wallace on the court, he remains supportive of his former teammate's decision.
"One thing about Ben, he's been underpaid his whole career," Hamilton said. "Since Day 1. Since being in Washington, Orlando and being here. He's been underpaid his whole career, so I'm happy to see that he got his money, because it's well-deserved."
The Pistons' starting shooting guard shared his thoughts about Wallace's departure and the Pistons' future with their new players, center Nazr Mohammed and guard Flip Murray, during his youth basketball camp at Birmingham Detroit Country Day. The program concludes today.
"I just told (Wallace), you have to make a decision for yourself and your family. Talk to your wife, talk to your kids and you go out and do what you do for yourself. I told him, 'Hey, we'd love to have you back; I don't want you to go nowhere,' but the ultimate thing is, everybody goes through that, being a free agent and things like that. He had to make a decision for his family.
"It's gonna be quite odd without Ben out there. He meant so much to us, to Detroit as a whole, so it's gonna be tough. But we've got guys coming in. Hopefully, they can fill in the void and we can do some special things."
Here's what else Hamilton had to say:
# How much did he talk with Wallace about the possibility of leaving? "I talk to Ben all the time. I talked to him at the beginning of the process, the middle, the end, and I talked to him about a week ago. That's our guy. We're like family. We did so many special things here in Detroit, so I love him."
# Did he know what Wallace was thinking during the process? "I didn't know. I thought Ben was going to be a Piston for life. But you never knew what someone else was going to pay him. When people start talking about that type of money, you've gotta make a decision. Ben's at that age where this will probably be his last big deal, so you've got to get all the money that you possibly can get."
# With analysts predicting a drop-off, can the Pistons remain a title contender? "Aw, man, I love when people talk like that. It motivates us. I think we play better like that. Like I said, Ben was a great piece, a big piece to what we had, but we still have guys on the team who know how to win. There's gonna be no slippage. We've only been here for three years. That's what people forget. People say, 'Your run's over.' I'm saying, 'You're talking about teams that've been together for 10 years -- we've been together for three.' So the sky's the limit still for us. We've got a rude awakening for everybody."
Hamilton OK with Ben choosing money NBA
August 11, 2006
* emailEmail this
* emailPrint this
BY SHANNON SHELTON
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Richard Hamilton thought Ben Wallace would be a Piston for life.
But life turned out to be six seasons after Wallace signed a four-year, $60-million deal with the Chicago Bulls during the off-season, ending his Pistons career.
While Hamilton will miss having Wallace on the court, he remains supportive of his former teammate's decision.
"One thing about Ben, he's been underpaid his whole career," Hamilton said. "Since Day 1. Since being in Washington, Orlando and being here. He's been underpaid his whole career, so I'm happy to see that he got his money, because it's well-deserved."
The Pistons' starting shooting guard shared his thoughts about Wallace's departure and the Pistons' future with their new players, center Nazr Mohammed and guard Flip Murray, during his youth basketball camp at Birmingham Detroit Country Day. The program concludes today.
"I just told (Wallace), you have to make a decision for yourself and your family. Talk to your wife, talk to your kids and you go out and do what you do for yourself. I told him, 'Hey, we'd love to have you back; I don't want you to go nowhere,' but the ultimate thing is, everybody goes through that, being a free agent and things like that. He had to make a decision for his family.
"It's gonna be quite odd without Ben out there. He meant so much to us, to Detroit as a whole, so it's gonna be tough. But we've got guys coming in. Hopefully, they can fill in the void and we can do some special things."
Here's what else Hamilton had to say:
# How much did he talk with Wallace about the possibility of leaving? "I talk to Ben all the time. I talked to him at the beginning of the process, the middle, the end, and I talked to him about a week ago. That's our guy. We're like family. We did so many special things here in Detroit, so I love him."
# Did he know what Wallace was thinking during the process? "I didn't know. I thought Ben was going to be a Piston for life. But you never knew what someone else was going to pay him. When people start talking about that type of money, you've gotta make a decision. Ben's at that age where this will probably be his last big deal, so you've got to get all the money that you possibly can get."
# With analysts predicting a drop-off, can the Pistons remain a title contender? "Aw, man, I love when people talk like that. It motivates us. I think we play better like that. Like I said, Ben was a great piece, a big piece to what we had, but we still have guys on the team who know how to win. There's gonna be no slippage. We've only been here for three years. That's what people forget. People say, 'Your run's over.' I'm saying, 'You're talking about teams that've been together for 10 years -- we've been together for three.' So the sky's the limit still for us. We've got a rude awakening for everybody."