Matt
10-03-2006, 08:03 AM
Wallace's absence resonates
Former teammates understand center's departure, look forward to seeing him again.
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS -- You hear people use the expression, "conspicuous by their absence"? Ben Wallace was definitely conspicuous by his absence at Pistons media day Monday.
"To walk in here and not see his face is very odd," said Richard Hamilton, sporting a new close-cropped hairstyle this season. "But it's business. We all understand. Things like this happen all the time."
Wallace is in Chicago. He took the Bulls' four-year, $60 million offer and ran. And not one player on the Pistons' roster had one bad thing to say about him.
"There's going to be positives and negatives about him being gone," Rasheed Wallace said. "As a friend, I am happy for him. He got what he wanted. He got his cheese. He had a baby girl this summer. You can't help but be happy for him. He's been blessed."
Nazr Mohammed and Antonio McDyess will be the primary replacements for Wallace.
"All I can worry about is wins and losses," Mohammed said. "I am not going out there trying to replace Ben or anybody. Each person's game is different. I am nowhere near the shot-blocker Ben was, so I am not going to pick up a bunch of fouls trying to block everybody's shot. I am going to contest shots, play great team defense, rebound the ball and score when I get the opportunity."
McDyess, though he will most likely reprise his sixth-man role again this season, is expected to play heavier minutes, including at the end of close games.
"I would love it," McDyess said. "That would be a challenge to me. If I got the opportunity to get more time, I plan to take full advantage of it. Losing Ben speaks for itself. He was the backbone of our team, especially on the defensive end. With him being gone, all of us will have to pick up the slack. He's not going to be back there to clean up all our messes this year. We are going to have to have each other's back."
The players have seen the early predictions. They have seen talk of their demise. They love it.
"We still feel like we're a good team," McDyess said. "When people doubt us, that's when we come out and show what we can do. With them saying we won't be as good without Ben, we have to go out there and prove them wrong."
You can bet all the players have Jan. 6 circled on their calendar. That's the first time the Pistons play the Bulls -- at Chicago.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061003/SPORTS0102/610030350/1127
Former teammates understand center's departure, look forward to seeing him again.
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS -- You hear people use the expression, "conspicuous by their absence"? Ben Wallace was definitely conspicuous by his absence at Pistons media day Monday.
"To walk in here and not see his face is very odd," said Richard Hamilton, sporting a new close-cropped hairstyle this season. "But it's business. We all understand. Things like this happen all the time."
Wallace is in Chicago. He took the Bulls' four-year, $60 million offer and ran. And not one player on the Pistons' roster had one bad thing to say about him.
"There's going to be positives and negatives about him being gone," Rasheed Wallace said. "As a friend, I am happy for him. He got what he wanted. He got his cheese. He had a baby girl this summer. You can't help but be happy for him. He's been blessed."
Nazr Mohammed and Antonio McDyess will be the primary replacements for Wallace.
"All I can worry about is wins and losses," Mohammed said. "I am not going out there trying to replace Ben or anybody. Each person's game is different. I am nowhere near the shot-blocker Ben was, so I am not going to pick up a bunch of fouls trying to block everybody's shot. I am going to contest shots, play great team defense, rebound the ball and score when I get the opportunity."
McDyess, though he will most likely reprise his sixth-man role again this season, is expected to play heavier minutes, including at the end of close games.
"I would love it," McDyess said. "That would be a challenge to me. If I got the opportunity to get more time, I plan to take full advantage of it. Losing Ben speaks for itself. He was the backbone of our team, especially on the defensive end. With him being gone, all of us will have to pick up the slack. He's not going to be back there to clean up all our messes this year. We are going to have to have each other's back."
The players have seen the early predictions. They have seen talk of their demise. They love it.
"We still feel like we're a good team," McDyess said. "When people doubt us, that's when we come out and show what we can do. With them saying we won't be as good without Ben, we have to go out there and prove them wrong."
You can bet all the players have Jan. 6 circled on their calendar. That's the first time the Pistons play the Bulls -- at Chicago.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061003/SPORTS0102/610030350/1127