BAMAPHIN 22
FinHeaven Elite
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.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5757530?FSO1&ATT=HMA
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.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5757530?FSO1&ATT=HMA
