Marty Burns of Sports Illustrated rasies the question: Is Ben Wallace’s return to Detroit as automatic as most people assume?
For most of the season it has been assumed that Ben Wallace, a free agent this summer, will re-sign with Detroit. The Pistons have said all along they want to keep their 6-foot-9 center, and Big Ben has said he is happy in Motown. Given that the Pistons can offer Wallace more money than any other team, it seems like a no-brainer.
But money often complicates simple matters. And the Big Ben situation is going to involve a lot of money. Perhaps as much as $100 million over six years.
Are the Pistons really willing to shell out that much for a soon-to-be 32-year-old whose game is so dependent on athleticism and energy? Won’t GM Joe Dumars at least have to wonder if an aging Wallace can play at such a high level three or four years down the road? Keep in mind, any new deal for Big Ben might push Detroit over the luxury tax next season, and almost certainly in 2008 or ‘09.
Throw in a possible early Pistons’ flameout in this year’s playoffs, and it could get even more interesting.
“Detroit will re-sign him because they’re not going to have to pay him [the max],” says one veteran agent. “You don’t see many max deals anymore. And the only teams with [significant] cap room, like Chicago and Atlanta, probably aren’t going to make him that kind of offer.”
Now, before you get too excited, bear in mind that the article doesn’t actually present any new information, it’s merely exploring a possibility which has existed all season. The quote from the anonymous agent is interesting, but many Detroit fans have guessed as much already.
Everyone always mentions the Bulls, who’ll have $12 million to $15 million of cap space to play with this summer, as a possible destination for Wallace if he doesn’t return to Detroit, and as Burns goes on to say, it’d be a win-win situation for Chicago GM John Paxson to show interest: he’ll either improve his frontcourt or drive up Wallace’s contract with the Pistons.
It’s true that Wallace has been relatively underpaid the last few years — he’s been the face of the franchise both on and off the court. However, you also can’t deny that his skillset is based entirely upon his athleticism, and at the end of a six-year deal, he won’t be nearly the same player as a 38-year-old as he is now at 32. It’s a conundrum: do you overpay for him as a reward for everything he’s done, or do you anticipate a decline and plan accordingly?
I have complete trust in Joe Dumars, and I’ll respect whatever decision he ends up making, but this is going to be a hard one. What do you think?
Ask me after tonight…
Certainly you pay him. For all of the obvious reasons. He is the identity of this team and what he brings is incomparable and irreplaceable. Who does what Ben Wallace does at the level he does it? Who dominates a game without needing to touch the basketball? That’s an unbelievable value, especially with great scorers at the other 4 positions. I completely understand the age concerns, but it’s not like Ben has the basketball mileage that an Iverson or Garnett has. His first few seasons were non-existent after coming out of VAUnion. Really, this is roughly his 8th season even if you count his last year with the Wiz. And if you get the nickname “Body”, then obviously you put the work in to maintain your strength and stamina. I don’t think Ben’s ever going to come in with a little extra weight.
Like you said, you have to trust Dumars. I don’t think he’s going to break the bank in signing Ben, or just throw the cash around to throw it around. But I’m sure he’ll best any offer on the table, because Ben specifically means more to this team and this fan base than he would to any other team or fans. And I would be more than willing to suffer through the last few years of Ben at 60% to have him retire as a Piston. He’s my favorite player since Joe D, and it meant more to me that Dumars retired a Piston than it hurt to watch that Game 5 against the Hawks in ‘98.
That being said, Dumars has a balancing act to figure out in the next year or so. Here’s a pretty interesting site:
http://www.hoopshype.com/salaries/detroit.htm
It doesn’t reflect Tay’s new deal, but it does everything else. We’re heading for some bank-busting years down the road as Rasheed and Rip’s deals will be peaking just as Ben and Tay will be starting their big contracts and after next year, you have to assume Chauncey will opt out of his current contract to sign a bigger deal. Hope that cap number grows a bit between now and then.
Honestly, when you consider the current deficiencies in his game, it’s scary to think of what his game will look like in 5-6 years when the athleticism and defensive intensity potentially goes away. Since he currently has no offensive skills to speak of, he would need to be playing Alonzo Mourning-level veteran defense or better in order to justify a huge deal.
On the other hand, the prospect of seeing Ben in another jersey is also scary, and I would not look forward to the moment when Detroit has to play against him. If the Pistons were to give him up, they would need to start looking for a more suitable replacement than Cato or Davis.
(Insert own “Ben Wallace is old and can’t shoot free throws” or “Ben Wallace will be in Cleveland next year” comment from Witness or Also a Witness here)
I want whats best for the team. I really don’t think we should give Ben the max. We still have to resign Mr. Big Shot in a few years. To break the bank to sign Ben will be a bad business move. I know Joe D will do the right thing.
If Ben leaves on his own (which I highly doubt), I know Joe will get Kevin Garnett to wear a Pistons jersey for next season.
phhh. I doubt we’ll get Garnett if ben leaves. It just doesnt make sense for the pistons. Hes not a center and hes older than ben is. If ben leaves trading darko will come back to haunt us.
Actually, Garnett is 29, about two and a half years younger than Ben. You could argue that he has more miles on his body, but I’m not even sure about that considering how much Ben bangs with players much larger than he is.
Given the Flip Saunders connection, I wouldn’t be too shocked if such a move was considered, but I’m not sure it’s the best idea. I’m not sure how it’d actually be feasible, but even if it were, it would completely change the dynamic of the team. (Just to throw fuel on the fire, though, Chauncey Billups also played with KG during his time in Minnesota, and you’d have to imagine he’d give a thumbs up were anyone to ask him…)
If we win, keep Ben. If we lose…
SEE YA FLIP!
Jack Dutch - the cap grows almost every year. The only bank being busted is Bill Davidson’s who btw, has profited tremendously from the work Ben has done in a Pistons uniform.
Re-signing Ben and Chauncey will not significantly hurt the Pistons long term cap situation. It’s a common misunderstanding a lot of fans have. Maybe one day I will do a write up on the Pistons salary scenario now and in the future. Hmmmm… maybe Matt will even blog it.
wow I didnt know garnett was younger than ben. oh well. PISTONS WIN! PISTONS WIN!
Got to say after last night’s game that Ben’s a must-sign. His defence on Lebron in the 4th was basically the difference between this one and game 3. Totally dominating and a real thing of beauty. Without him I think these guys would just be lost.
Whatever decision Joe D makes, it should be made only with Ben’s true value right now and over the next 5 years in mind. I would argue that that value is very high, but if Chicago wants to pay 15 million per year, let them have him.
This game is a business, and letting Ben go, if it came to that, really wouldn’t be any sort of a betrayal. Having a stable home in Detroit where he is the heart of a defensive minded championship team has ben great for Wallace’s career, and if he gets 15 million per season, it’s that much more so.
Whatever happens, Ben will be legendary in Detroit. Let’s just be thankful we have one of the few folks even more legendary making the decision: Joe Dumars.
Ya I think the pistons could have really used KG in the miami seris because Kevin garnett can score. I hope we get KG but i really don’t wanna get reed of ben wallace. But i think we will re-sign ben then trade rasheed wallace and carlos delfino and are 1st round draft pick for Kevin garnett then we will have Ben wallace Kevin Garnett Tayshaun Prince Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups that would be sweet. But then again i love ben wallace but how can you pay a guy 12 millon when he only plays defense we play 5 on 4 offense ever game. And ben wallace shoots 20% from the free trow line i say keep ben and get reed of sheed for Kevin Garnett