...Also known as rip off of the champs.[smilie=running.gif]


Signed free agent Ben Wallace (July 2006)

Ben Wallace Paxson on Wallace: "I like the way Ben represents himself, and how he’s a no-nonsense guy. Again, it seems to fit what we’re trying to do.”
Paxson’s biggest and boldest move since taking over the Bulls came this past summer, when he signed former Detroit Pistons star and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace to a four-year deal. Not only does it provide Chicago with a stronger defensive presence that it’s ever had before, it offers the team credibility it lacked and serious know-how down in the paint. Stealing the 6-foot-9 center from one of your division rivals doesn’t hurt either.

Wallace is no spring chicken, though—he turned 32 in September. He also won’t help the Bulls’ scoring needs in the low post. But Paxson’ isn’t concerned about either of those issues.

“The criticism that I’ve heard from our deal has been centered around the fact that he’s aging, and I think that will motivate him. We did a lot of background work on Ben and he keeps himself in great shape. He likes to play and he likes to practice.

“It’s my belief and it’s Scott’s belief that you still win games in this league by defending,” Paxson continued. “You had Phoenix running up and down the floor last year and it’s an appealing way for teams to play, but I still think that when you defend, you can win.”

Paxson credited Miami’s defense as a key factor in their success last year, and added that Dallas was able to reach the NBA Finals due to the fact that they were an improved defensive squad in comparison to previous seasons.

Wallace almost certainly will not be a loud, vocal presence in Chicago’s locker room this season, but Paxson believes that his actions and work habits will speak volumes to the team’s younger players.

“Ben will prepare himself in a way that will be noticed by our young guys and they will see that it is something they’ll want to emulate,” said Paxson, who added that he is counting on similar efforts from P.J. Brown and Adrian Griffin.

“I think the best way to put it is that he just makes sense for us,” Paxson said of Wallace. “Our core is still young, but he brings a personality and respect that we have not had here for a long time. I’m always worried about how the pieces will fit, but I think we have more versatility and length than we have in the past and those are big things. It falls a little bit on the coaches now to get things together. I like the way Ben represents himself, and how he’s a no-nonsense guy. Again, it seems to fit what we’re trying to do.”



Read the rest at the link.
http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/paxson_feature_060925.html

the one thing i really love about Ben skipping town is that the Pistons/Bulls rivalry really has a chance to come back. mutual respect is fine, but the NBA really needs more teams that really want to kick each other's asses.

i know Sheed loves to get up for big matchups against Duncan, KG, Jermaine, etc......i can't wait to see Sheed and Ben go at it.

Well I remember Ben having trouble guarding Sheed. Lets hope that stays true this year.

Some dude from SI has the Bulls winning the ring this year: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/chris_mannix/09/20/mannix/index.html

1) The guy looks like Frankie Muniz.

2) Chicago could have close to 04 Piston defensive ability.

3)
Nocioni is the most physical small forward in the league. His versatility -- he easily can slide to the four position -- makes him a huge asset against a potential playoff opponent like Detroit, which, without Wallace, will occasionally slide Rasheed Wallace to the center position and play Tayshaun Prince at power forward.
Tayshaun should NEVER play PF. Well, almost never. It definately shouldn't be a common tactic.

i remember when LB put Tayshaun on Duncan, for fear of one of our bigs fouling out. horrible mistake and from what i remember, that helped Duncan finally heat up from a slump.

we should consider Tayshaun at PF only when the opposing team's PF is Frankie Muniz.

I don't see why everyone is so excited about the Bulls. Tyrus Thomas wont do shit this year so you can leave him out.

The Bulls still dont have a 20 + scorer. Ben Gordon is inconsistent and has his really good nights or really shit nights. Deng Nocioni hinrich both give you a good 14ish. Outside of them they really have no one else to score. You know PJ and Ben combined will 4 points and shit fg%. Ben is a slight upgrade over Tyson considering his age and money and def not worth 60 million.

The bulls have a shot at making the Finals but I dont see them beating the MAvs Suns Spurs or even the Heat. Pistons? If sheed doesnt get ejected yeah

You know PJ and Ben combined will 4 points and shit fg%.
PJ Brown isn't a great offensive player, but he can make FTs and definitely isn't a liability. I worry about him more than I do Ben in some ways... he's a pretty solid player.

The Bulls dont really was an offensive presence down low. They want pure rebounding and defense so that teams are at best getting into a perimeter shooting match with them. A match they can win with their guards perimeter defense being fairly solid. Expect the Bulls to dominate the glass and second chance points with brown and ben. Two key stats for a defensive team to win.

But if you have solid perimeter defenders and capable bigs Chicago will have to get some points in the paint...

Oh, sorry - that was true 2 years ago before the league changed the rules...

Now they'll just shoot FTs every other time down

why do i get the feeling refs will ease up on the bigger media market team like the bulls with the touchy calls?[smilie=dissed.gif]

ben is a slight upgrade over chandler?!? wow. 4 time dpoy, multiple allstar, multiple rebound champ, all nba's, has a ring- replacing an underachieving nobody that couldnt put in 10 minutes of effort a night.

sadly, pistons mngmt probably agrees with you.

as far as the bulls not having inside presence, i thought the "new nba rules" said no post play, and its all about penetrating now. if so, the bulls are fine.

ben is a slight upgrade over chandler?!? wow. 4 time dpoy, multiple allstar, multiple rebound champ, all nba's, has a ring- replacing an underachieving nobody that couldnt put in 10 minutes of effort a night.


well thanks for reading my post. I said considering age and money. We all know what Ben did and what he did for us. ben brought alot every game but hes declining now and you could see it form his playoff performance. maybe it was because he didnt like Flip but with the play he had he certainly isnt worth 60 mil.

Look at the fcuking age difference. Ben is like 34 and Tyson is 24(i think)

With the money the Bulls had, they could have gone after Elson or Butler and maybe Harrington but instead they went for BEn.

Cross i'd agree with you if the Bulls werent trying to win Right Now. Since they are, Ben is a great choice. They overpaid to be a title conteder. Thats what big media market teams do.

Langlois

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/langlois_061009.html


Balancing act
Monday, Oct. 9

Like a healthy baby, a prosperous NBA basketball season has a nine-month gestation period. It began Tuesday for the Pistons, as it did for all 30 NBA teams, but only two of them will push into late June. Keith Langlois, Pistons.com editor, continues his daily Blog to chronicle the unfolding season.

When Chicago’s free-agent signing of Ben Wallace is discussed, it invariably includes this line: “The Bulls overpaid for Ben Wallace, but they had to. ”

Why did they have to? That mentality keeps bad NBA teams bad and puts mediocre ones on a treadmill, running nowhere fast.

Now, if the question is “Did the Bulls make themselves a better team in the short term by signing Ben Wallace?” the answer is “of course.”

But at what price? After this season, the Bulls face huge contract decisions on four core players. Kirk Hinrich can become an unrestricted free agent unless he’s signed to a lucrative contract extension before the end of the season, and Andres Nocioni’s contract is also expiring. In addition, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng are eligible for contract extensions.

It’s pretty unlikely Chicago can keep all four without going seriously over the NBA’s luxury-tax threshold, which means signing Ben Wallace essentially was a trade. The Bulls are going to have to shed themselves of one significant player because they made the decision to sign a veteran whose age – Wallace turned 32 last month – made the four-year, $60 million contract a gamble by any measure.

The signing of free agents should always serve as a reminder of the absolute necessity for even the most talent-laden rosters to continually be on the lookout for cheap young talent.

It was exactly that formula that produced the Pistons’ 2004 NBA championship. Joe Dumars signed Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace as undervalued free agents, swapped the pricey Jerry Stackhouse for the more modestly compensated Rip Hamilton and found Tayshaun Prince late in the first round, where his salary slot was easy to accommodate.

As those players came up for new contracts – Prince and Hamilton have received hefty extensions and Billups is due to at season’s end – the Pistons have found themselves flirting with the luxury tax and have had to find creative new ways to stay among the league’s elite.

If the Bulls don’t win it all this year, they might have to take a step or two back in order to have the chance to go forward again.

i dont know where this langlois guy came from, but i'd love to send him back there.

if the league really has changed then not matter how good the bulls are defensivly and no matter how many good players they have, they wont win a championchip anytime soon...Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon can't get you 25 FTs a game