sounds like a horrible version of the “would you rather” game.

BEN WALLACE all the way, he can still play defense, and i’m sure the fans would love to have him back.

But let’s compare stats anyway:

Ben Wallace
56 GP 53 GS
2.9 pts .445 FG% 6.5 rebs .8 ast .9 stl 1.3 blk .6 TO 1.5 PF in 23.5 minutes

Rasho Nesterovic
70 GP 19 GS
6.8 pts .513 FG% 3.4 rebs 1.6 ast .4 stl .5 blk .9 TO 2.4 PF in 17.3 minutes

Ben is still a horrible FT shooter (42.2%) but doesn’t shoot them often, Rasho on the other hand hit 78.5% but also didn’t shoot often

Here is Ben Wallace’s (outdated) SB Nation scouting report

Assets: One of the most athletic big men in the game’s history, he’s also a tenacious rebounder and shot-blocker who can dominate the paint in his own end. He is also nimble and agile, showing a great nose for steals.

Flaws: Offense has always been an afterthought and he is a liability at the charity stripe. Over the years injury and age have affected his once-formidable intensity and energy level.

Career Potential: Sometimes-dominant defense-first center.

Rasho Nesterovic’s SB Nation scouting report:

Assets A true seven-footer with nice hands and touch around the basket, he provides a solid mix of reach and finesse on the offensive end. He’s also a good passer for a pivot.

Flaws Runs hot and cold. Defensively he lacks the power and approach to get the most out of his size, making him a mediocre rebounder and middling shot-blocker.

Career Potential: Good reserve center and solid spot-starter.

Most everything everyone has been saying about both players is true. Ben will give you a couple blocks a game and will still gobble up boards though he doesn’t use his athleticism anymore. He’s getting by solely on basketball IQ. Similar to Rasheed Wallace, Ben uses elite timing and position to get in position for blocks and boards (this is similar to how Charles Barkley was able to get so many rebounds, his positioning and timing was top notch). His per 36 minute numbers are pretty similar to the numbers he had in Detroit, with less points and less blocks. Pretty good for a guy who broke his leg huh? His win shares were 3.6 (2.8 of these wins were a result of defense) while Rasho’s win shares were 2.3. (only 1.1 were a result of defense) This means Wallace was more valuable to his team. He has a good defensive rating of 98 points allowed per 100 possessions compared to Rasho’s 109. But this is nothing compared to his all time best of 87(!) in the 2003-2004 season (ahh what a year). You don’t see those types of numbers often. Ben Wallace grabbed 16.4% of available rebounds while on the floor (this includes offensive and defensive), compared to Rasho’s 10.9%. Ben posted a usage percentage of 7.8% while Rasho was utilized more often at 18.5%. Ben Wallace’s WARP (wins above replacement player Based on performance and playing time, the wins a player has created as compared to a replacement-level player seeing the same minutes.) was 3.4 while Rasho’s was only 1.2. Ben Wallace had an offensive/defensive bias of 5.8 meaning he was far more important on the defensive end. Rasho’s was .8, meaning he was more important on the offensvie end, but only marginally. Ben Wallace’s +/ per 40 minutes was a very respectable 13.3 (meaning while he’s on the floor, his team averages 13.3 pts MORE than the other team per 40mins) this is skewed because he was on Cleveland, a very good team. Rasho’s was -3.7, which means his team was outscored on average by 3.7 while he was on the floor (once again skeweness takes place here, he’s on the Pacers, which is a team very likely to be outscored).

Sorry for throwing out all these numbers, but if you analyze them carefully you can come to the conclusion Rasho puts up better stats, but Ben is far more valuable to his team. He brought his team more wins, his defense in particular will bring almost 3 more wins to a squad. I’m predicting Joe will bring in Ben Wallace, usually Joe demands a strong defensive game for the 5th big off the bench (Theo Ratliff, Dale Davis, and Elden Cambell are all strong defensively). If Ben was 7 ft I would say bring him in immediately. But he’ll still be able to defend the bigger centers in the league, one doesn’t just lose all defensive prowess because they’ve aged. I like Rasho, I really do. I tried to remain as unbiased as possible here, but Ben really does bring more to the table. He’s also accustomed to the staff, as well as the GM and some of the current players (it’ll make a real nice reunion, can’t wait to hear the reception when he first steps onto the court).