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you don't say...
Well, I think there is only one chance that Ben even considers leaving Detroit: If he really hates Saunders. But if he leaves, he will not join the Spurs. I believe he will retire a Piston. I also doubt that he said sth. like that at all because it would have made a big headline and there is no article saying that Ben considers joining the Spurs.
But imagine this lineup:
Ben/ Javtokas/ Rasho
TD/ Evans/ Horry
Bowen/ Jeffries
Manu/ Finley/ Smith
Parker/ Udrih
P.S. I KNOW this is not gonna happen!... just a lineup that would really kick ass...
Last edited by Streakyshooter08; 06-04-2006 at 05:05 AM.
you don't say...
Ben is in my whish listBen and Bruce as our starters.. thats lockdown defense. But god would they suck on the offense., the problem is the money I wouldn't like Spurs becoming Lakers 2 with too many stars but hey ... Ben is great rebounder, good kid to receive Dallas.
What about the new punisment trend in NBA, offense oriented team are well received!?
Ben ain't coming to SA
I just found an intersting article, but it does not mention the Spurs. It is just saying that Ben's future is up in the air...
Big Ben's Piston time may be up
Published June 4, 2006
MIAMI -- There is a reason -- a good reason -- Ben Wallace recently hired high-powered agent Arn Tellem to represent him this summer in free agency.
Wallace wants to find his true worth.
And surprisingly, the Detroit Pistons might not be the team to provide that opportunity.
In a league struggling to find enough decent centers and with teams dying to build a championship contender, someone will be willing to break the bank for Wallace.
Wallace might be a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, hailed as the anchor to the amazing run the Pistons have made in the past three seasons, but there is nothing certain about his re-signing in Detroit.
For a guy who never was drafted, signed for the minimum with the Washington Wizards, was traded to the Orlando Magic for Ike Austin and later found fame and fortune in Detroit, the world doesn't always turn smoothly.
"Nothing in this league is automatic,'' Wallace said last week in Miami when asked about his pending free agency. "I was never supposed to leave Washington. I was supposed to retire in Orlando.
"Strange things happen. It's not automatic [that he will re-sign in Detroit]. You just never know what might happen.''
The Pistons and the city of Detroit love Wallace and his blue-collar work ethic -- he has become a folk hero there -- but is it wise for the Pistons to give him one of those maximum contracts (six years, $132 million)?
Is it wise to commit so much to a player who is not involved in the offense, who relies so much on pure athleticism and whose athleticism will start diminishing soon (he turns 32 in September)?
It's a quandary the Pistons will face July 1 when he officially becomes a free agent.
Yet he is the only star among a generally weak free-agent crop, making him an attractive alternative this summer for anyone with major room under the salary cap.
Only the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Bobcats would be able to clear enough space to afford him, but others could acquire him with a sign-and-trade deal, which might interest the Pistons.
"You have to listen to hear what opportunities are out there,'' Wallace said. "You have to weigh your options.
"And it's not always just about money. It's about having the opportunity to do what you're comfortable doing.''
Imagine what the centerless Bulls and Coach Scott Skiles could do if they signed Wallace, putting him in the midst of all their young, talented perimeter players. They might be playing next season in the NBA Finals.
Atlanta will find him attractive, too, bringing Wallace back toward his roots in Alabama, where his family can see him shine every game, where he could anchor a budding team.
And what better way for Toronto to regain its NBA luster than by putting Wallace between young forwards Chris Bosh and Charlie Villanueva.
Either way, Wallace has found himself in a very enviable situation, but the Pistons are in a sticky one.
Wallace just completed the six-year, $30 million contract he signed when he left the Magic, but this summer, he will sign another contract that could be three times as large.
Like many that win championships or contend seriously, the salary structure of the Pistons is changing rapidly. By keeping Wallace, they almost certainly will be paying the luxury tax for many years.
Not only that, the contract of point guard Chauncey Billups will be up for renewal after the upcoming season or the one after that.
Re-signing Wallace, at his price, isn't as certain as it would be if this was just a basketball decision.
It was a brilliant decision for the Pistons to have him the past six seasons -- prime years of his wonderful career.
It might not be the same with the next six years.
Cato is a free agent
Veteran center Kelvin Cato was on the Detroit playoff roster, but he was so far out of the picture that his name was spelled wrong (Kato) in the game program Monday and Friday.
He was sitting patiently on the Pistons' bench, just waiting for the season to end. He was bored.
"Detroit is a nice place, the players are nice guys, but I don't think the coaches had any confidence to use me,'' he said. "I'm healthy, but I don't get much work.''
Cato and his expiring contract were obtained from Orlando at midseason for point guard Carlos Arroyo and power forward/center Darko Milicic.
Detroit made the trade to help ease the payroll for next season, hoping it would help make room to re-sign Wallace.
Cato, who was paid $8 million this season, played in only four games for 34 minutes during the regular season. He played in only four playoff games for 15 total minutes this postseason.
"It just didn't work for me here,'' he said before Game 4 in Miami. "They just never really had any confidence to use me.''
Cato, 31, will become a free agent this summer, confident that he still will be in the league somewhere next season.
"There are just so few big guys available now, and a lot of teams are looking for centers,'' he said.
"I can still help someone -- Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, L.A., Seattle, they all need another center. I hope I have a decision to make this summer.''
Aroundthe Rim
Sometimes the generation gap is a little too much to overcome for some coaches, even the best ones. Among the motivational tools Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley used during the Detroit series was a Yogi Berra quote he taped to each player's locker. Power forward Udonis Haslem misunderstood. "He gave us a Yogi Bear quote,'' Haslem told reporters in South Florida. "I can't remember what it was, but he said it was something from Yogi Bear. To be honest, I don't even know too much about Yogi Bear. How old is that cartoon? I know a little about it, but not much.''
Eric Musselman, who missed out on a chance at his second NBA head-coaching job last year when the Magic rehired Brian Hill, is getting his opportunity with the Sacramento Kings. Owners Joe and Gavin Maloof wanted a coach with a defensive background who also is outgoing, and they chose Musselman. "I can't imagine a whole lot better situation for a coach than this," Musselman said Saturday at a news conference.
Anyone who doubted that Scott Skiles would become a successful NBA coach really didn't understand him as a player with the Magic. Skiles is in his second NBA head-coaching position in Chicago, and he is convincing some that he might become an elite coach soon. "I've played for a lot of coaches in my career,'' said guard Randy Livingston, who is retiring after playing for nine teams in his 10 seasons, the final one with the Bulls. "I'd put Scott in the top three among all the coaches right now. And there is nobody better now at drawing up the right play in a key situation.''
Karl Malone might return to the league in some capacity, but he isn't sure as what. The Jazz brought him to Salt Lake City recently to help evaluate potential draft picks.
A Final Thought: Tim Thomas may have fired up Dirk Nowitzki more than taunted him when he blew a kiss at him.
Tim Povtak can be reached at [email protected].
Hey Pistons fans: What is your opinion about re-signing Wallace? Would you give him the max? Would you trade him? Just you curious how you are feeling about his future.
Arn Tellem as his agent GUARANTEES this will never happen, number one, just because he finally hired an agent, and number two, because it's Arn Tellem.
We're already over the cap, rayray.But the spurs would go over the cap if they pursued Wallace.
Regardless, this is all just so Ben and his agent can get more money out of Detroit.
Plus, Pop has embraced small ball, what would we do with a center who can't shoot the three?
The 2007 All-Defensive First Team:
C Ben Wallace
PF Tim Duncan
SF Bruce Bowen
SG Manu Ginobili
PG Tony Parker
It WILL happen.
Would be cool, but it won't happen...
I pray to God this happens
Enough with this pipedream
No, it won't.
This is all just one fan's wet dream. Even IF we get Big Ben, who would we cut to make room for his contract?
Everybody WANTS to play next to Tim Duncan... Doesn't mean it's logistically possible.
The only way this happens is if we overpay Ben and the Pistons overpay Nazr in a trade.
Ben Wallace is the key to the puzzle. Defensive and offensive rebounding will be more consistant. They have to do what they can do to attempt to sign up, it seems impossible, but why not give it a shot? They would have won a le this year if they had better rebounding (that was the thing of the Mavs series they couldn't do). Forget Reggie Evans if you can try to get Big Ben on your side. Spurs management needs to look into this, and not just go "it won't work, ever" without even trying.
There's hardly any good centers anymore, Ben is the best behind Shaq.
Ben obviously is a team player that wants to win a ring, not many teams are able to go all the way... only about 5 teams I can see that have a shot at that in the near future: Spurs, Mavs, Suns, Pistons, and Heat.
Unless we can trade him for Rasho, its not worth it. Now if Rasho is involved...then I'm all for it.
this just adds more support for the quote in my sig. I would love to have ben wallace here. then we would have a defence player of the year ever year
I know its from hoopsworld, but take it for what its worth...
link
SAN ANTONIO SHAKE-UP: Don’t be surprised to see the Spurs make a “daring” move this off-season. Rasho Nesterovic is likely gone in trade, and Nazr Mohammed is expected to walk as an unrestricted free agent – there is an absolutely insane notion that the Spurs could be in the running for Ben Wallace if things go south for Big Ben in Detroit as many are speculating they will. The Piston players made a hard “sales pitch” on the flight back from Miami, but Ben was very non-committal. A Spurs source said if Ben will take the phone call, the Spurs will make the phone call – the real question becomes who in the NBA offers Ben the max money he is going to be seeking. League sources say the Spurs are not going to offer anyone “max” money, but there is a strong chance if Ben is going shopping for another ring, the Spurs will make a push. Another name that’s making its way around the “I want a ring” circuit is Bonzi Wells, Detroit papers have speculated Bonzi Wells could be on the radar for the Pistons, but Spurs sources say he is also someone they will look too as well – don’t be shocked to see the Spurs shake some things up this summer, and they may be a bigger players in the off-season than anyone’s given them credit for even though they are not in a great position cap wise ($60.9 million in contracts). The smart money says Ben Wallace stays in Detroit, and gets his massive payday and Bonzi Wells ends up with goof friend Jermaine O’Neal in Indiana, but that doesn’t mean the Spurs won’t be calling.
The most accurate part of that hoopsworld article is the "absolutely insane notion " part.
Would You Give Up Tp Or Manu For Ben Wallace?
Ben's free throw percentage fits in nicely!!!
That was my first thought on reading the first article in this thread.
No. In my mind an aging Ben Wallace is simply not worth a max contract. If Ben truly wants that kind of money, I say ship him off in a sign-and-trade. Don't get me wrong, I would love for Ben to stay a Piston, but I honestly don't believe he is worth that huge of a contract. The problem for me is not in money as much as years. If Ben would agree to a 3 year deal with big time money, then I say lock him up. I just don't want to give him huge money AND a many year deal. Imagine how much paying a 38 year old Ben Wallace 15 million a year would hurt your team.
Last edited by ABDENOUR POWER; 06-04-2006 at 08:48 PM.
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