Bye-Bye Ben

I guess Ben Wallace just couldn't stand to stay in Detroit without Steve Yzerman as captain of the Red Wings, so he's headed to Chicago. This is pretty disappointing since Wallace is the signature member of this Pistons squad. Joe Dumars promised to make him the highest paid player on the team and kept his word with the offer that was made. But the Bulls offered more, a four-year deal starting at $14 million. The Pistons weren't going to offer more than $12 million. At first glance, this seems like a terrible thing for the Pistons. But is it? As the article by Chris McCosky linked above says, how good is Ben Wallace now?

"Wallace has some good years left, there's no question about that. But he might not have any great years left. His days of grabbing 1,000-plus rebounds in a season are probably over. While he can still dominate a game on the defensive end, he hasn't shown the ability to do so consistently, night after night like he once did.

He was essentially not a factor in the last two playoff rounds this season. He never looked older than he did against the Heat. Dumars had to throw that into the equation.

Wallace's stubbornness and petulance got the better of him on occasion this season. His refusal to enter a game in Orlando in April is only one example. He had several blow-ups in practice, as well, and hasn't gotten along real well with any of his last three coaches."

Dumars has made a lot of good moves in his time with the Pistons, with few stinkers (Darko). Hopefully the Pistons can come out of this as a better team.

UPDATE: Wow, that was fast. The Pistons have reached an agreement with center Nazr Mohammed. Yes, he's not the player that Wallace is, but he comes $9 million cheaper. Practically a bargain.