Ben Wallace a Maverick?

[kaorder1999]

I wish....but he is an unrestricted free agent and many people in Detroit think he's not happy there. I wonder if the Mavs could afford him? I know nothing about the salary cap!

[football4life]

i heard talk on espn about him possibly becoming a chicago bull next year

[kaorder1999]

C Ben Wallace
PF Dirk Nowitzki
SF Josh Howard
SG Devin Harris
PG Jason Terry


That would be nice

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
I wish....but he is an unrestricted free agent and many people in Detroit think he's not happy there. I wonder if the Mavs could afford him? I know nothing about the salary cap!
I don't know whether or not the Mavs are under the cap, so I can't say one way or the other. The way it works is you get two exceptions every two years (at least I think it still works that way)... one mid-level exception and one million-dollar exception. If you're over the cap and can't afford to sign players to fill out your roster, you get these exceptions to help you out. With a mid-level exception, you can pay the player about $4.5 million that first year. The million-dollar exception is only for players under the veteran's minimum... after so many years in the league you can't make less than $1 million.

Also, I know the Mavs have several FA's of their own... Josh Howard, Adrian Griffin and Jason Terry included... so they may have to make a decision on these guys before going after Wallace.

Basically, if the Mavs are over or anywhere near the cap, they can only use those exceptions (if they didn't last year). It would be crazy to see Wallace in a Dallas uni next year, though. Who could stop them? Nowitzki's unstoppable on offense, and they have three stoppers between Griffin, Howard and Wallace.

[GreenMonster]

Dallas doesn't need a stopper, they need an ENFORCER. Ben Wallace could fill that role nicely. Charles Oakley, Rick Mahorn, Bill Laimbeer, and Shaquille O'Neil come to mind when I think of an enforcer. Someone that dominates the paint and dishes out hard fouls when needed. Basically, a schoolyard bully.

[injuredinmelee]

Ben Wallace being a Maverick would cause mt to follow the game alot earlier than the playoffs when I start caring now.

[Sweetwater Red]

The deal here is Detroit cannot offer Ben a "maximum contract".
Other teams like the Bulls, Raptors, and a few others can. The
question is will Ben re-sign with a team built to win now for
less money, or will he go to a team that is marginal for a max
contract?

[kepdawg]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
C Ben Wallace
PF Dirk Nowitzki
SF Josh Howard
SG Devin Harris
PG Jason Terry


That would be nice

Harris would be PG and Terry would be SG.

[Rabbit'93]

Why get a stopper when ticky tack fouls are called?:confused:

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by Rabbit'93
Why get a stopper when ticky tack fouls are called?:confused:

Unless of course your name is Shaquille "fat boy" O'neal.:mad:

[Txbroadcaster]

Sorry but I would not want to sign a player to a Max deal who has no offense, whose defense is great, but I think alot of that is because he plays in a conference that plods up and down the court.

I dont think Wallace would be a good fit in Dallas, or the western conference period.

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by Sweetwater Red
Unless of course your name is Shaquille "fat boy" O'neal.:mad: Or if you are a guard on a team with O'neal. Think about it. In Orlando it was Hardaway. In LA it was Kobe. In Miami it is Wade. All of them seem to get all the calls when playing with O'neal.

[Sweetwater Red]

True. Why should a guy who has won four defensive player of
the year awards play in a conference that no one plays defense
in.

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by Sweetwater Red
True. Why should a guy who has won four defensive player of
the year awards play in a conference that no one plays defense
in.

So the fact that the 8 of the top 12 teams as far as points allowed resides in the west means they dont play defense?

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
Sorry but I would not want to sign a player to a Max deal who has no offense, whose defense is great, but I think alot of that is because he plays in a conference that plods up and down the court.
Why not? Dirk was signed to a max deal long before he ever decided to start playing D.

[Gobbla2001]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
So the fact that the 8 of the top 12 teams as far as points allowed resides in the west means they dont play defense?

Exactly...

[Steer Fever]

Dont be suprised if you hear the talks about a Garnett Howard deal.

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by Steer Fever
Dont be suprised if you hear the talks about a Garnett Howard deal.

Garnett....now you wanna talk about someone that is unhappy.

[Cameron Crazy]

Garnet was good back in tha day

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by GreenMonster
Dallas doesn't need a stopper, they need an ENFORCER. Ben Wallace could fill that role nicely. Charles Oakley, Rick Mahorn, Bill Laimbeer, and Shaquille O'Neil come to mind when I think of an enforcer. Someone that dominates the paint and dishes out hard fouls when needed. Basically, a schoolyard bully.
You hit the nail right on the head. I like Wallace's style of play. He is physical underneath and has great touch, I just don't see this happening. They still have DeSegana Diop at center, and as far as I know he's still under contract. We shall see though, I think the Mavs should definately keep Terry. Howard is sporadic, but for the most part plays excellent basketball, and as for Griffith, you have to love the way he goes for the offensive boards. I wouldn't mind seeing them go for Wallace, don't get me wrong, he would do great things for the Mavs, it just seems a little unrealisitic.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
Sorry but I would not want to sign a player to a Max deal who has no offense, whose defense is great, but I think alot of that is because he plays in a conference that plods up and down the court.

I dont think Wallace would be a good fit in Dallas, or the western conference period.

8-10 points, 11-13 rebounds, and 2+ blocks per game. Those are better numbers than the Mavs are getting out of their center position right now.

[kaorder1999]

josh howard isnt a free agent is he?

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
josh howard isnt a free agent is he?

I don't think so.

I heard on ESPN NEWS that Detroit offered Big Ben 4 years and
48 million dollars. You know what that tells me?.....He's as good
as gone. :(

[Phil C]

The Mavs would be dangerous indeed if they get Wallace. Remember he can play Shaq one on one and that would leave other players free to defense Wade if the two teams reach the finals again. It would make them dangerous against the Spurs too. It would be good for the Mavericks to get him indeed.

[piratebg]

Wallace leaving Pistons to sign with Chicago
Wallace leaving Pistons to sign with Chicago

By LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer
July 3, 2006

DETROIT (AP) -- Free-agent center Ben Wallace is leaving the Detroit Pistons to sign with the Chicago Bulls, a person within the NBA said Monday.

The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because NBA free agents can't officially sign contracts until July 12, said the Pistons offered Wallace a four-year contract worth about $50 million. That would have made him the highest-paid player on the team next season with a salary of $11.5 million.

Messages were left Monday night for Wallace's agent, Arn Tellem, and a call to Wallace's home in suburban Detroit went unanswered. But Wallace told The Detroit News that he will sign a four-year deal with the Bulls.

"I appreciate everything Detroit did for me and my family," he told the newspaper Monday night. "They gave me an opportunity to make a name for myself and we had an opportunity to win a championship together."

Wallace helped Detroit advance to four straight conference finals -- the first team to do so since the Bulls of the early 1990s.

Detroit had wanted to keep its starting lineup together, and Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations, said late last week that his top priority was to re-sign Wallace.

But Wallace said he was disappointed with the Pistons' offer.

"We tried to work out a couple of deals," he told the newspaper. "But there was nothing that Joe felt would work."

Wallace, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, could be a good fit for an up-and-coming Chicago team that needs help with rebounding and defense.

He was just what the Pistons needed when they acquired him and Chucky Atkins from Orlando before the 2000-01 season in a sign-and-trade deal for Grant Hill.

Wallace helped Detroit advance in the playoffs in 2002 -- for the first time since 1991 -- get to the conference finals in 2003, win a title in 2004 and reach the finals last year. The Pistons won an NBA-high and franchise-record 64 games last season, then lost to the eventual champion Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

During the regular season this past year, he ranked fourth in the NBA in rebounding (11.3), ninth in blocks (2.2) and 10th in steals (1.78) -- the only player among the top 10 in all three categories. The undrafted free agent from Virginia Union became the fifth player in league history to have 100 blocks and 100 steals in six straight seasons, a list that includes Hakeem Olajuwon, Julius Erving, Sam Lacey and David Robinson.

Wallace, who turns 32 on Sept. 10, scored 7.3 points a game this past season and has not averaged double digits in any of his 10 years in the league. Since beginning in his career with the Washington Wizards, he has averaged 6.6 points and made 42 percent of his free throws.

The Pistons center, affectionately known as "Big Ben" by his fans, became the first player to win the Defensive Player of the Year award four times in a five-year span.