Did Ben Wallace make Joe Dumars the GM?

Joe's best move was acquiring Ben, who he didn't think would be as good as he was. The Pistons devolved after Ben left.

He's pretty much the only difference maker on this team, all for less than $900k.

The smartest things Joe has done were trading for Ben, and reacquiring Ben.

Comments?

you can say in on all GM's who stroke the gold via trade, draft etc.

Ppl usually don't get how hit and miss is all this GMing work. And there is no "foolproof trade scenarios or foolproof draft recipes or foolproof development training" what fans so desperately want to see.

JoeD has been lucky with some hirings/trades and in the same way unlucky.

the bottom line - there is no guarantees.

Joe acquired several wandering players who developed into a cohesive unit.
I always felt the leader of the pack was Billups. Ben certainly deserves a lot of praise for his contributions, but when Chauncey left...The bottom really fell out.

Interesting...

Maybe so. Ben was the only unique piece in the puzzle. There were other players you could sub in for the other four starters, except perhaps for Sheed. But Ben was unique. Maybe the team could have won with someone else there, but it would have had to play a different style of basketball.

So I'd say, yes, more than anyone else, it was Big Ben. He set the example on may levels.

Joe got Ben from Orlando; Ben owned the defensive end. - Joe looked smart.

Joe let Ben go to Chicago as a FA; Ben SUCKED - Joe looked smart.

Joe signed an aging Ben last summer; Ben is playing AWESOME on a vet minimum deal - Joe looks smart.

Ben, Chauncey, Rip, drafting Tay and Sheed were all great moves. So was getting Corlis, drafting Memo, putting Lindsay together with what's his name ( the other backup pest guard who teamed with Lindsay).

He might have made some smart moves, but made me equally mad when he let Ben and CB go. Ben is a huge presence on weak side defense. The ECF vs. Cavs could've been a different story if Ben was in the middle.

Perhaps it was Joe Dumars that made Ben Wallace. Ben didn't find his true niche' until he landed in Detroit.

I'd say that Ben was the most important, closely followed by Billups. Larry Brown was also a key piece... because without a ship, Joe would have had a big monkey on his back with all those close calls.

On the other hand, Joe also make Ben and Chauncey... and validated LB.

It just all came together and was magical. What a fun team that was to watch.

Actually, Ben's numbers were increasing by the time Joe made that deal. I think Ben was getting ready to break out anyway. He wasn't going to draw any attention from GM's because he wasn't throwing up 20pts a night. So, in the eyes of most GM's he was worthless. That's why Joe was ridiculed for sending Grant Hill and getting The Diet and Big Ben in return. Most people figured Diet would be the meat in that meat and potatoes because he was the only one of the two that could score.