Pistons must search for new identity

Mike Kahn / Special to FOXSports.com

Posted: 14 hours ago

 

Big Ben cashing in changes everything.

 

In a startling move that promises to change the balance of power in the NBA's Eastern Conference, four-time defensive player of the year Ben Wallace has agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract with the Chicago Bulls — leaving the Detroit Pistons with a huge hole in the middle.

The Pistons, who won the NBA championship in 2004 and lost in the seventh game of the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs in '05, lost to the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals — and Wallace's uneven play, coupled with his constant questioning of new coach Flip Saunders' offensive orientation, rapidly changed a scenario that appeared to be chiseled in stone.

 

 

Nonetheless, Wallace, who will be 32 years old in September, had his sixth consecutive season of at least 100 blocks and 100 steals — averaging 7.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.21 blocks and 1.78 steals. He was the heart of president Joe Dumars' transformation of the Pistons from bottom-feeders into a dominant force in the conference the past four seasons.

 

Now, the Pistons are left with a giant hole in the middle that further brings into focus the dumping of 7-foot-1 center Darko Milicic, the controversial second overall pick of the storied 2003 draft. Eschewing Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, Dumars went for the 18-year-old Milicic from Serbia Montenegro. He struggled to accept the learning curve it would require and bemoaned all the splinters he acquired sitting on the bench. Dumars finally gave up, unloading Milicic to Orlando on Feb. 15 with Carlos Arroyo for Kelvin Cato and a future first-round pick.

 

That leaves Milicic as part of the renaissance in Orlando, Wallace as a new defensive leader in Chicago and Dumars some wiggle room to sign mercurial guard Bonzi Wells to upgrade the offense.

 

Hail to Bulls president John Paxson, who not only got the second overall pick in the 2006 draft from the New York Knicks in exchange for unhealthy and ineffectual Eddy Curry, but the expiring contract of Tim Thomas that gave Paxson the salary cap space to offer Wallace the maximum deal allowed. Not to waste the opportunity, Paxson also made two draft day deals to acquire the most athletic big man in the draft in LSU's Tyrus Thomas, who is exactly the same size as Wallace but more skilled overall, followed with the best perimeter defender in the draft, Swiss national team star Thabo Sefolosha.

 

With Sefolosha and Thomas under Wallace's expansive wings, it will be an apprenticeship made in heaven, playing right into the defensive orientation Bulls coach Scott Skiles has implored on his young team in search of a leader.

 

Oh, it brings into question the future of young 7-1 center Tyson Chandler, who sources say is headed to the active New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for veteran P.J. Brown and young, talented and unhappy J.R. Smith. That will play itself out on July 12, when contracts can officially be signed for the 2006-07 season.

 

More importantly, Wallace is the ringleader Skiles has been seeking to go along with the explosive scoring provided by Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni.

 

The Bulls lost in six games to the eventual champion Heat in the first round of the playoffs — but they had to finish the season 10-1 just to make the playoffs after struggling with their identity through much of the 2005-06 season. Chandler didn't embrace the starting center role as hoped following the dealing of Curry, and even though he was effective rebounding, he was far too foul prone to be consistently sound on defense — with virtually no offensive skills. It forced the Bulls to be all about shooting themselves into our out of games from the perimeter.

 

Wallace is that odd combination of full-blown energy and a player who doesn't need the ball to be effective — he crashes the boards and runs the floor unfailingly, which is why Dumars went after him in the first place. What appeared to be a sad day for the Pistons, when Dumars was forced into a sign-and-trade by Grant Hill with Orlando for Wallace and Chucky Atkins in the summer of 2000, has turned into a lopsided deal for the Pistons in the wake of Hill's chronic ankle surgeries.

 

The undrafted forward out of Virginia Union, bent on proving himself to be the second coming of Dennis Rodman in Detroit (without the wedding dress), set off a run that pushed Dumars to bring in Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, draft Tayshaun Prince and acquire Rasheed Wallace to form what has been the most prolific and effective starting lineup in the NBA the past three seasons.

 

But all of that came undone in the second round of the playoffs, when the Pistons blew an 0-2 lead to the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. The Cavs won the next three games and had a chance to put away the Pistons in Game 6, but they didn't quite have the savvy or experience to pull it off. Wallace, who had uncharacteristically refused to go back into a game late in the regular season when Saunders pulled him, began sniping at the coach, which influenced others to follow suit — and quite publicly.

 

By the time they got through Game 7 of the Cavs series and into the conference finals to meet the well-rested Heat — still chomping at the bit from last year's Game 7 loss to the Pistons with both Wade and Shaquille O'Neal hurting — they had nothing left.

 

With the team tired and the offense shot, it made Wallace's offensive limitations even more obvious. He averaged only 4.7 points in the playoffs and shot a record-low .273 from the free throw line. When he started whining about the coaching decisions, the Pistons were finished. They took the Heat to six games only through ticket sales. They were through by the end of Game 1 and were blown out by the end of Game 4.

 

That left them with some questions about what to do with Wallace, who went from wanting to do the deal on his own with Dumars to hiring high-powered agent Arn Tellem — clearly setting the table for his exit strategy. Wallace was insulted by the Pistons' four-year, $48 million opening bid but was intrigued by the initial $52 million over four years counter offer by the Bulls when he showed up in Chicago on Saturday — when free agency opened. Tellem told the Bulls that Wallace was serious, but $13 million a year wasn't enough of a difference to leave — it would require $15 million.

 

The Pistons tried some sign-and-trade deals elsewhere, but Wallace would have none of it. The bell had tolled. After winning six titles during the 1990s and falling apart after '98, the Bulls now are back in position to compete in the wide open East, with the Pistons in transition and the Heat rapidly aging.

 

With the cap space the Pistons have left, they now are in position to make a strong move to add Wells to their offensive mix. But that's just a meek addition compared to the exit of Wallace. We'll just have to wait and see what the amazingly resourceful Dumars will find next in his bag of tricks for his team, which is suddenly struggling for an identity.

 

So for now, Big Ben will replace the Sears Tower as the center of attention in Chicago. Just how much he has left in his tank is largely in question, but anyone questioning Wallace's heart and soul is making a huge mistake. And no one knows that better than Dumars.

 

Veteran NBA write Mike Kahn is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5757530?FSO1&ATT=HMA

so I guess there are no Detroit fans here? :(

I LOVE THIS. :D I haven't been in this part of the forum for a while, so I'm late in noticing this.

 

 

I'm not a huge Detroit fan and I'm a Jordan fan so seeing Chicago doing well seems fun to me. :D

 

KNICKS FOR PLAYOFFS.

ohh I can't wait for basketball season to start!!

the bulls are going to have the best starting 5 next season - hinrich, gordon, nocioni, thomas and wallace. can't wait for the season to start again! also peja going to new orleans could be interesting if he does put pen to paper.

anyone know what the hell is ACTUALLY happening to iverson? or is it the usual iverson trading fiasco?

Chicago overpaid for Wallace, but Detroit will still miss him.

 

Iverson will be traded, and my beloved 76ers will get next to nothing for him, and everybody will win except Philadelphia. (That's how trades usually seem to work in this town :rolleyes: )

*hugs* :sad: