Ben Wallace Is Now A Bull

[ducks]

1) JR Smith isn't wanted by many teams, including the Bulls (that's not to say that he wont still be packaged in the deal)
2) In light of some recent developments, we don't need or want Malik Allen (once again don't take it off the board because the original trade involving PJ+JR for Chandler and Allen was agreed to)
3) Bottom line: The Bulls want PJ and the Hornets want Chandler
http://hornetsreport.com/HRForums/s...ead.php?t=34834

looks like it could be bulls and hornets trade but spurs do not get pj brown just jr smith




this hornetresport guy is SAYING BULLS DO NOT WANT SMITH HUMM....

[Dunc]

I have conflicting emotions about this. On the one hand, I'm sad to see him go. He's been the heart and soul all these years, the face of the franchise, he helped us win a ring and established an Eastern Conference dynasty. On the other hand, I saw some things this year that I must admit I didn't like. His drop in production wasn't cool. The challenges to authority didn't impress me. His failure to show up in the playoffs disappointed me. And he'll turn 32 before the season starts. I wanted him to come back, but now that he isn't, I'm ok with it. He shouldn't have gotten offered any more than he was. I think Chicago will find that they drastically overpaid for him, too. And that's cool with me. Dude deserved to get paid. I have no ill will towards him. When the Bulls come to town and his name is introduced, I'll be the first one on my feet to cheer him and the last to sit down. But it's time to move on, I guess.

[Quadzilla99]

I know I said this already but the Bulls get the Knicks pick next year they could conceivably get Oden and if not then Noah or Kevin Durant. Even though they overpaid to get Ben they have a lot of young talent. Their future is enormously bright.

[Despot]

1) JR Smith isn't wanted by many teams, including the Bulls (that's not to say that he wont still be packaged in the deal)
2) In light of some recent developments, we don't need or want Malik Allen (once again don't take it off the board because the original trade involving PJ+JR for Chandler and Allen was agreed to)
3) Bottom line: The Bulls want PJ and the Hornets want Chandler
http://hornetsreport.com/HRForums/s...ead.php?t=34834

looks like it could be bulls and hornets trade but spurs do not get pj brown just jr smith




this hornetresport guy is SAYING BULLS DO NOT WANT SMITH HUMM....

Could the Spurs be a third team? would it work?

[clubalien]

I am suprised duck hasn't copied Amente's post over here yet

[Vinnie_Johnson]

There's two O's in Goose. There's two N's in Fennis. Sorry to run grammar smack, Microwave, but Dembo was the best player to come out of SA until that big deputy sheriff in Miami was a kid.

Dembo got a ring too, I think.

My bad you are right good old Fennis I thought he was a player when we took him.

[picnroll]

Is the Darko fiasco the single greatest cluster in the history of the NBA?

Also if the Spurs sign KVH I'll take a couple years sabbatical form basketball.

[clubalien]

picnroll you pulling a tpark?

[picnroll]

picnroll you pulling a tpark?

Their were some that couldn't stomach Malone as a Spur. I just couldn't bear to see KVH in silver and black. Too painful.

[sghspurs]

what the is your problem REDLION. damn dude don't you have better things to do like enjoy your championship or something. don't kick a man while he's down.

[ponky]

The Bulls will come to regret this signing immensely. Their "window" to do anything is next year, because after that, Wallace's contract will look very much stupid. And karma will come back to bite Ben in the butt for his disloyalty and pigheadedness big time, just like it got Cuban and the Mavs.

Uh, just like it got the Mavs? I think WADE got the Mavs, not karma, give the Heat SOME credit and stop with this karma nonsense. I don't believe either Nash with the Suns or Finley with the Spurs came back to bite us in the ass....no, I'm quite sure it was the Heat, although those other teams made it close.

[ponky]

wow what really pisses me off is the poll on nba.com when it asked which team will win the championship next year and the spurs are not even on the poll....wtf is that bs

yes, they are...it's that whole *other team* part, i'm fairly certain this is pointing to the spurs...stupid nba.com just goes with the four conference finalists

[freedom&justice]

If I were a Pistons fan, I'd say screw Ben Wallace. I mean seriously, HIM.

THEY gave him a chance and pulled him from the scrap heap.

THEY gave him a 6 year 30 mil contract when he was a nobody.

THEY gave him a very generous 12 mil a year offer, that would've taken him to age 36. 12 MIL A YEAR for a guy who can't score. Like 8 mil more than Bruce gets. Dumars kept his word and offered him a contract that would've made Ben the highest paid guy on the team, even though he's nowhere near their best player.

All this despite Ben playing like crap in the playoffs and getting into numerous arguments and disruptions with Flip. It could easily be argued that he was the Wallace that was a bigger pain in the butt last year.

Not only did Dumars not punish Ben, but he kept his word and rewarded him. And Ben goes to a division rival for another measly million or two a year?

HIM.

Dumars couldn't have handled this any better. Nobody should blame him at all. The one mistake he made in all of this was in A) trading Darko and B) not demanding to his coaches that Darko gets 20+ mins a game, which really shouldn't have been too much to ask for, since they play so many games against crap teams in the East.

Darko will easily be a better player than Ben in two years, and may already be so by next year.

The Bulls will come to regret this signing immensely. Their "window" to do anything is next year, because after that, Wallace's contract will look very much stupid. And karma will come back to bite Ben in the butt for his disloyalty and pigheadedness big time, just like it got Cuban and the Mavs.

For anybody like Sequ to suggest that the Pistons won't make the playoffs next year, that's just asinine. The East is so weak, there's no way they go from #1 to #9 in one year. Dumars is a good GM and he'll figure it out and he'll either get Sheed to play hard or trade him for someone who will.

Well said; and IF we get Pryz we'll at least have a little more offense from our 5 spot and not have to watch Ben miss so many FTs in crunch time.
Ben's ego has really ballooned since we won the 'ship in 04..he was practically asking us to throw away our team's chances of re-signing our PG to keep him.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

him and his bloated contract.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Wallace deal gives Bulls a spot on center stage
Acquiring the defensive dynamo stamps the Bulls as le contenders


There's an exclusive club in the NBA. It admits only the best, those most motivated and most celebrated. It's the club for championship contenders.

And the Bulls regained admittance on Monday.

The Bulls pulled off the coup of the 2006 Summer of Free Agency with the signing of Detroit Pistons four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace.

With the acquisition of Wallace, the only NBA player last season to finish in the top 10 in rebounds, steals and blocks, the Bulls landed the league's premier defensive anchor while taking away from perhaps their biggest rival the player regarded as the heart and soul of the team that won the 2004 championship and was runner-up in 2005.

The Bulls stepped up big-time with a four-year deal worth $60 million, topping the Pistons' bid by about $10 million.

"This is just one of those things," Wallace told the Detroit News late Monday. "You get a chance to sign the deal of a lifetime. It's tough to let it go."

Wallace, thought to be a slam-dunk to return to the Pistons, was also a motivated Bulls free agent, unlike some Bulls free-agency missteps of the past—as in 2000 when the Bulls had a treasure chest of salary-cap room, but air-balled on Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill and Tim Duncan and ended up with Ron Mercer and Brad Miller.

This time, acting with more commitment and an open wallet, the Bulls smothered the compe ion for Wallace and overwhelmed the Detroit offer. The Pistons on Monday tried last-minute attempts at a sign-and-trade with the Knicks and the 76ers, but Wallace rejected both opportunities to come to the Bulls.

The Pistons obtained Virginia Union product Wallace from the Orlando Magic in 2000 in the Grant Hill sign-and-trade, and he helped rebuild their franchise.

Other prospects mediocre

Fortunately for the Bulls, Wallace accepted their deal Monday because they were about to impose a deadline and move on to other free agents. That field was hardly strong, with the likes of Joel Przybilla, Drew Gooden and Nazr Mohammed next in line.

No, they are no Ben Wallaces.

And it looks like Wallace will have a veteran running mate on the Bulls' revamped front line.

It's not that the Bulls were afraid of Wallace and Tyson Chandler getting into a free-throw shooting contest and no one winning. But the Bulls now are expected to trade Chandler to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for veteran forward P.J. Brown, league sources confirmed.

In addition to Brown being a solid, veteran pro in the mold of Antonio Davis, Brown is going into the final season of his contract and will give the Bulls flexibility in regards to signing all their young players—Kirk Hinrich this summer and Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon next summer—to contract extensions.

Despite Chandler's uneven play, he is well regarded, especially in the Western Conference, and the Bulls have gotten feelers for deals regarding Troy Murphy of Golden State, Marcus Camby of Denver and Carlos Boozer of Utah.

But all those players have long-term contracts, which could force the Bulls into giving up one of their so-called core players in the future to stay within the constraints of the salary cap and luxury tax.

Now that seems unlikely, and Brown paired with Wallace should also provide the benefit of more respect for the Bulls' young players with the referees and the presence of veteran defenders behind the perimeter players.

Smaller game in vogue

The 6-foot-9-inch Wallace and 6-11 Brown figure to start at center and power forward, and though that makes the Bulls somewhat small without Chandler, the NBA has been evolving into a quicker, smaller game that seems to more suit the skilled players the Bulls have.


It was evident in the playoffs, and even though Miami won the championship with Shaquille O'Neal, it wasn't his presence that was instrumental. Even the mighty Spurs went with smaller players in their series against Dallas.

Now the Bulls can bring rookie Tyrus Thomas along without added pressure and are in position to get a good big man in the 2007 draft when they have the right to swap first-round picks with the Knicks.


And it gets even better for the Bulls.

It certainly weakens the Pistons. The Pacers took a step back, losing Peja Stojakovic in free agency to the Hornets with nothing to show from the Ron Artest trade. The Bucks traded their point guard, T.J. Ford, for Charlie Villanueva. The Heat hardly seems like a dynasty with O'Neal on the decline and an aging supporting cast, and LeBron James is terrific but needs help in Cleveland.

The conference finals seem more reality than possibility for the Bulls next season.

Of course, there are questions with Wallace.

He's the poorest free-throw shooter in the NBA and gets purposely fouled at times, the hack-a-Ben.

He has feuded with just about every coach in Detroit, and staged an open display against Flip Saunders in the playoffs this year.

He tends to be moody and pout at times, refusing to re-enter a game in March at the coach's request because he was angry at the team's effort and his role.

Despite his offensive limitations, he believes he should be an offensive option. And he was another guy talking about being disappointed and offended by an eight-figure contract offer.

But, hey, this is the NBA.

He's a warrior

And what Wallace brings is hard to find. He's a rare player in that "warrior" category who takes on the toughest players in the league with an at ude. He's more respected than liked.

So consider the possibilities: One of the league's best defensive teams the last two seasons (the Bulls led in field-goal percentage against the last two years) gets the league's best team defender.

It apparently became clear to the Bulls they were not about to get a Dwyane Wade, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. So they're putting together an impenetrable defensive wall with waves of players coming at teams.

With youngsters like Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha and Viktor Khryapa and Nocioni off the bench, the Bulls will be able to bring in a long, athletic second unit of players who could smother the opponent's reserves.

The starters of Wallace, Brown, Hinrich, Gordon and Deng look good, and suddenly Gordon isn't a defensive liability with Wallace behind him.

The prospects seem delicious, and it sets John Paxson on course for executive of the year and managing partner Jerry Reinsdorf again spending aggressively.

Wallace turns 32 on Sept. 10 and perhaps may not be worth an average $15 million deal in three years. But the Bulls clearly are taking a run now, and given their extensions coming up, the belief is the deal starts high, probably at close to $17 million, and declines through its life, probably down to about $12 million at the end.

Though this seemed the longest of shots, and not only because of Wallace's seeming roots in Detroit, where his Afro hairstyle and play makes him the fan favorite.

Pursued him aggressively

The Bulls had long considered taking a run at Wallace but were warned early by an associate of Wallace's that this would be a major financial commitment. And when Wallace initially went to the Pistons, he sought an annual $20 million salary.

That was beyond the Bulls' means, but it also sent a signal that perhaps the Pistons were no lock.

So the Bulls moved aggressively in going to Detroit to meet with Wallace. His wife is due to give birth to their third child soon so Wallace didn't want to travel.

He was engaging and even told Bulls coach Scott Skiles he desired a tougher brand of coaching. Skiles didn't seem to have a problem with that. The Bulls responded with an offer averaging close to $14 million per season. It seemed the limit.

So Detroit went in search of a sign-and-trade deal that could up the ante, knock out the rival Bulls and return a player to them. But Wallace was balking. He now wanted Chicago, but the $15 million figure was vital.

That's where Reinsdorf stepped in with agent Arn Tellem, who was McGrady's agent back in 2000, and they agreed. Nothing against the other big-man free agents, but it was worth the price to get a difference-maker.

Wallace didn't have a dominant playoffs—averaging 4.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks amid a Pistons meltdown. But he became the fifth player in league history this season with more than 100 blocks and steals in six straight seasons, 22 times had more blocks than the opposing team, led the team in rebounding 59 times, hasn't missed a game in more than two years and was part of a team that again was called for the fewest fouls in the NBA.

"I appreciate everything Detroit did for me and my family," Wallace said Monday night. "They gave me the opportunity to make a name for myself. I had the opportunity to win a championship here. It's always going to be a special place."



http://chicagosports.chicagotribune....=cs-columnists

[JamStone]

Ben Wallace deserves to capitalize on his last five seasons with the Pistons and get as much money as he can. How can you blame a guy for that? $60 million is a lot of money. I don't hold any ill feelings towards Ben. I thank him for all that he did for the Pistons and the city of Detroit. In many ways, I'm glad it's another team that will be paying him that kind of money. I shudder to think of the idea of paying Ben Wallace around $18 million when he's 35-36, playing about 28 minute a game, scoring 4-5 pts a game, hauling down aboutu 8 rebounds a game, and maybe blocking 1 shot per game.

I wish him the best. I don't have a problem with Ben or him leaving. Sure, it will suck next season not having him, but he wasn't going to stick around forever.

Thanks, Ben, and good luck.

[byrontx]

So next year the Eastern conference finals will be Fro vs. Wade

[NBA Junkie]

Sucks for the Pistons.

Off the map they go.

Shoulda kept Darko!

IMO, this move doesn't necessarily guarantee that the Bulls are the best in the East. The team is still young and they still lack a true offensive go-to-guy in close ballgames. Whether Ben Gordon can be that man remains to be seen. He's more streaky than consistent and can disappear in long stretches in games without being a factor offensively.

It'll be interesting to see whether the Pistons try to replace Wallace via free agency/trade or whether McDyess moves to the starting line-up and either he or 'Sheed plays the 5.

[leemajors]

So next year the Eastern conference finals will be Fro vs. Wade

that's a bit hasty, the bulls still have to score points. they have a hard time doing that a lot of the time. they'll have to hold everyone to 82ppg.

[Quadzilla99]

Here's an interesting link to one of this morning's news stories about the signing from the Detroit Press-

Pistons wise not to match:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...92/1048/SPORTS

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Here's an interesting link to one of this morning's news stories about the signing from the Detroit Press-

Pistons wise not to match:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...92/1048/SPORTS

If Joe can get Joel Przybilla and get younger it's not the end all for the pistons.

[bdubya]

Nothing but love for Ben here. He left it all out there for six years for the Pistons, and has earned the payday. Hope he gets a big standing O when he comes back to the Palace.

Pistons are screwed for this year, though. They'll need a good draft in '07 to get back to le contention. This year they'll be lucky to get past the first round.

[SAGambler]

Of course, there are questions with Wallace.

He's the poorest free-throw shooter in the NBA and gets purposely fouled at times, the hack-a-Ben.

He has feuded with just about every coach in Detroit, and staged an open display against Flip Saunders in the playoffs this year.

He tends to be moody and pout at times, refusing to re-enter a game in March at the coach's request because he was angry at the team's effort and his role.

Despite his offensive limitations, he believes he should be an offensive option. And he was another guy talking about being disappointed and offended by an eight-figure contract offer.

And this is why Chicago will come to regret this contract.

Does it help the Bulls next year? Sure

But another year or two down the line, when they are still handing out the dough? I doubt it.

And it's going to take a lot more than Ben Wallace to put them in the finals, much less to win a trophy.

He may have deserved this "big contract" for play in the past. But no way would I offer him this kind of money on "future" predictions.

[ShoogarBear]

Sucks for Pistons fans, but weren't all you guys in here saying he was The No Question Defensive Player of the Year? And now he's overrated?

He's definitely not worth the money he's getting from Chi-town, but I think his loss is going to hit Detroit very, very hard. For one thing, the Pistons are only a mediocre rebounding team with him (16th, with a -0.34 per game differential), and they're going to be a terrible one without him, maybe unless they sign Pryz.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

lol..this is gonna hurt but we'll still make the playoffs..hes just one man..