DBB Countdown: Big Ben’s $48 million

by Matt Watson on Sep 11, 2008 5:31 PM EDT

There are 48 days left until the Pistons kick off the 2008-09 season.

Speaking of 48, Ben Wallace turned down $48 million from the Pistons ((Or thereabouts. Some reports say Detroit went as high as $49.6 million, but logically if you turn down 49.6, you've also turned down 48. Or something. For the sake of the countdown, cut me some slack.)) two summers ago to accept a $60 million deal from the Bulls. Given Wallace's downward spiral ever since, some might say it's easily the best $48 million Detroit never spent.

His numbers have declined across the board, a trend that actually started his last few years in Detroit, and he's left a path of destruction across the Central Division. Signing Nazr Mohammed to replace him didn't exactly work out, but as we saw last year, it's a lot easier to make a mid-level mistake disappear than a failed franchise cornerstone. Dumars flipped Mohmamed for two expiring contracts; the Bulls flipped Wallace for Larry Hughes, who's still owed $25 million plus the next two years.

To be fair, I actually think Wallace's fate would have been different had he swallowed his pride and accepted Detroit's lesser offer. His decline was inevitable, but it would've been mitigated in a familiar system. He's not the presence in the paint he used to be, but there's no chance he would've let LeBron James drive the lane over and over (and over and over) in the now infamous Game 5. And while he clashed with Flip Saunders, in hindsight it's hard to say who was wrong. What's Michael Curry preaching this year? Rebounding and controlling the paint? How novel.

Hindsight is supposed to be 20/20, but I can't actually tell if the Pistons dodged a bullet or not. In theory his absence should have expedited the development of Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson, but instead the organization insisted on giving minutes to aging and mediocre big men like Nazr, Dale Davis, Chris Webber and Theo Ratliff. Wallace has disappointed, but so have the Pistons.

I call it a wash. What about you?

Previously on DBB:
July 3, 2006: Ben Wallace unhappy with Detroit's offer
July 4, 2006: With Ben Wallace gone, whither goest the Pistons?
July 5, 2006: Time for Plan C: Nazr Mohammed
July 5, 2006: Uncork the forks; Pistons will be alright

Tweet Comment 12 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I like what you got going on here Matt with the daily countdown / Pistons tidbit related to that number. Good stuff.

by Jim on Sep 11, 2008 6:46 PM EDT reply actions

RIP Big Ben.

by Laughton on Sep 11, 2008 7:15 PM EDT reply actions

Jim: Thanks — I figured it wouldn’t really become apparent what I was doing until at least the second or third day.

by Matt Watson on Sep 11, 2008 8:05 PM EDT reply actions

I remember thinking that Joe’s offer was very fair… and included back pay for services rendered. I wasn’t mad when Ben took the offer from Chicago… a little shocked that Chicago would offer that much, but I would have done the same thing Ben did. Take the money and run.

I also remember being a little relieved. Ben was great in his prime, but the league had changed the defensive rules which undermined his effectiveness, his age was showing, and his offensive ineptitude in that Miami series was still fresh in my mind.

The Ben years were fun. He gave us an identity. While we’re still a great franchise, I think we’re still searching for something we can hang our hat on again.

by Brad on Sep 11, 2008 8:19 PM EDT reply actions

$48 Million offered to Ben Wallace….wait, who’s Ben Wallace?

by Diablo on Sep 11, 2008 9:08 PM EDT reply actions

Holy hell, I agree with Brad. I co-sign the entire post.

I thought the breathless overreaction to Ben signing with Chicago was terrific. Everybody thought they were instantly contenders to win it all, but anybody who’d been remotely paying attention knew they were boned and had tied up their cap in crucial years they’d need to extend what looked like a good core at the time. I love John Paxon. I hope he never gets fired.

by Other Matt on Sep 11, 2008 10:40 PM EDT reply actions

I think both parties acted responsibly here and both ended up disappointed. Sometimes that happens. I always loved Ben Wallace and was sad to see him go but you have to take the extra $12 million dollars. That’s 6 lifetimes worth of money for somebody working an average job. If you value security then more security is a good thing and Ben Wallace went for security. It’s not like Ben Wallace was making the money of a top draft pick early in his career.

On the Pistons end, making it work would have probably meant firing Flip Saunders which adds another $5-6 million to the tab and probably wasn’t going to happen after the way the Larry Brown era ended. In hindsight, the Pistons should have probably rolled the dice on Michael Curry with zero head coaching experience in 2005.

by joejoejoe on Sep 11, 2008 11:28 PM EDT reply actions

If they had signed any particular center worth having in wake of Ben’s departure, Detroit would have been champions at least once.

by Sauce1977 on Sep 12, 2008 4:59 AM EDT reply actions

… I like thinking of how ridiculously good this team would be if we had a 27 year old Laimbeer.

by Brad on Sep 12, 2008 7:45 AM EDT reply actions

I remember seeing “C Ben Wallace signs 5-yr $60 million deal with Chicago Bulls” scroll across the TV in some dark bar in an Atlantic City casino around 1 AM. I was instantly furious (and drunk) that my favorite player from my favorite team had just cashed out to another team in the division. When his agent had said the day before that they were unhappy with the Pistons offer I thought they were just posturing. I knew they overpaid him but I was still mad/shocked.

In hindsight that $12 million a year went to resigning Chauncey, McDyess, and (to some extent) Amir. We don’t have an “identity” now but if Ben had stayed we would be an “old” team instead of “aged” team.

by JesseC on Sep 12, 2008 10:45 AM EDT reply actions

Our offer was definitely fair, Chicago’s definitely too rich. If we could have brought him back for $50, great, but $60? No thanks. The only regret I have about it now is the same that I had at the time – Chicago gave Tyson Chandler away for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith (whom they immediately dropped for Howard Eisley and a couple second rounders). I definitely still wish we would have found a way to bring him in to replace Ben.

by Shinons on Sep 12, 2008 10:47 AM EDT reply actions

I criticize Ben for his selling Detroit out for 12 mil, when he was already a millionaire many times over. He lost any Detroit-area endorsements as a result of his departure, and it’s a possibility he could’ve stayed in the organization after his retirement from the active roster.

I could be wrong though.

Like others have said, I understand why both parties did what they did, and the schadenfreude experienced when bulls took a nosedive was a bit of a comfort, so I can only look ahead and hope Curry can make some shit happen.

by Skylar on Sep 12, 2008 10:53 AM EDT reply actions