Pistons continue contract talks with Wallace
AUBURN HILLS -- Contract talks between the Detroit Pistons and Ben Wallace's agent, Arn Tellem, continued on Sunday and are expected to resume today.

The Pistons have offered Wallace a four-year deal worth about $48 million, which would make him the highest-paid player in franchise history.

The Chicago Bulls, one of the few teams with the salary cap space to sign Wallace to a bigger contract, met with the 6-foot-9 center on Saturday. It is unclear if the Bulls offered him a contract then, but it's believed that Chicago is willing to give Wallace a multi-year deal that would average close to $15 million per season.

FULL-COURT PRESS: Have the Bulls offered Wallace a contract?
Reports about Ben Wallace are popping up everywhere, and of course there is plenty of contradicting information.

Marlen Garcia of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bulls have offered Ben a four-year deal worth, not five-years, like several stories are reporting today .... In today's Detroit News, Chris McCosky says the Bulls did not extend a formal offer.

The Battle of Big Ben
.... This is big news in a number of ways.

First of all, you only get to have one first priority, and for Chicago, it's clearly not Joel Przybilla or anyone else. It's Ben Wallace. (UPDATE: Portland's Kevin Pritchard was reportedly on the Przybillas' doorstep on Saturday.)

I bet a healthy Ben Wallace himself is good for 20-30 wins over the next two years wherever he lands. In part because of his defense, but mainly because he is so fierce on the court that teammates don't dare loaf for a second. The man just needs you to play hard, and his attitude has been the bedrock of Piston basketball these last few years. He's worth a fat contract. But a long one? That's a whole different deal ...

Dumars can't allow Wallace to leave Detroit
by John Harris

Six years later, history repeats itself for Joe Dumars and the Detroit Pistons.

Now, as in 2000, when owner Bill Davidson placed Dumars in charge of all personnel decisions, Dumars' biggest offseason move involves retaining Detroit's star player who also happens to be a free agent.

Ironically, Ben Wallace has been prominently involved on both occasions.


The first rule of writing a column is to have facts straight. Philadelphia is not a team with cap space to sign Wallace. They would be interested in a sign-and-trade.

Source: Ben Wallace leaving Pistons to sign with Bulls
By Chad Ford

Ben Wallace has been the face of the Detroit Pistons the last five years. No more.

A league source told ESPN.com Monday night that Wallace has told the Pistons he has accepted an offer from the Chicago Bulls.

While exact details are unavailable, the offer is thought to be a four-year, $52 million dollar deal.

Lindsey re-signs

The Pistons got their first commitment of the free agency period from Lindsey Hunter, who will sign a two-year deal worth about $4.5 million. He can't sign the deal until July 12.

Oh, it gets better for Hunter.

When his contract is up, Hunter will also be given a position within the organization, primarily assisting president of basketball operations, Joe Dumars.

Let the spin begin...


Ben informs Pistons he's leaving for Bulls

Multiple league sources confirmed Monday night that Ben Wallace was going to take Chicago's four-year, $60 million deal and leave the Pistons with nothing in return.

His decision to leave Detroit came down to money and respect, pure and simple.

Money and respect. Two things that can be hard to find in Detroit. Ask Chuck Daly.




Agent says Wallace will rebuff Pistons to sign with Bulls
By A. Sherrod Blakely

AUBURN HILLS -- Sooner or later, the Detroit Pistons' core group of players was going to be broken up.

That time has arrived now that Ben Wallace, one of the NBA's top unrestricted free agents, has informed the Pistons -- through his agent, Arn Tellem -- that he plans to sign a multi-year contract with the Chicago Bulls.

Wallace's deal, which cannot be signed until July 12 -- the first day free agents can sign contracts -- will be worth about $60 million over four seasons.




Big Ben headed to Bulls
by Chris McCosky

AUBURN HILLS — Another Detroit sports icon bites the dust.

Ben Wallace, the face, the 'fro and the foundation of the Detroit Pistons the past six years, will be wearing a Chicago Bulls uniform next season.

"I appreciate everything Detroit did for me and my family,” Wallace said Monday night, confirming that he will sign a four-year deal with the Bulls on July 12, the first day free agents are able to sign new contracts. “They gave me an opportunity to make a name for myself and we had an opportunity to win a championship together.

This article is great. Chris McCoskey the Pistons apologist. Sorry, I feel this was a bad move and I won't apologize for feeling that way. Get rid of Ben, fine. But get something back. Don't get cheap and bow out of contention. That's wrong.

[Detroit Bad Boys]

With Ben Wallace gone, whither go the Pistons?
Gone out the window is Detroit's Offseason Plan A, which involved re-signing Wallace and adding an athletic slasher (Bonzi Wells?) with the mid-level exception. Instead, it's on to Plan B. What's that? Apparently going after Joel Pryzbilla with the mid-level exception, and then quietly waiting for the season to start. Because unless I'm seriously under-estimating the amount of wiggle room Detroit has under the salary cap, the team's hands will be tied when it comes to adding another impact free agent.

[Chicago Tribune via MLive.com]

Sam Smith: Wallace makes Bulls instant title contenders
What Wallace brings is hard to find. He's a rare player in that "warrior" category who takes on the toughest players in the league with an attitude. He's more respected than liked.

So consider the possibilities: One of the league's best defensive teams the last two seasons (the Bulls led in field-goal percentage against the last two years) gets the league's best team defender ....

The prospects seem delicious, and it sets John Paxson on course for executive of the year and managing partner Jerry Reinsdorf again spending aggressively.

Notice that old Sam wasn't so enthusiastic a couple of weeks ago -- when I used this article to predict that the Bulls were going to make a serious run at Ben. The guy's wrong so often, you can use it to predict the future.

[Need4Sheed]

Pistons Make an Offer to Joel Przybilla
"At 9 p.m. Portland time, 7.1 Center Joel Przybilla will have a tele-conference with his agent, Bill Duffy, regarding an offer from the Detroit Pistons. This comes after former Detroit center Ben Wallace agreed in principle to a free agent contract with the Chicago Bulls. The Pistons immediately made contact with Duffy regarding Przybilla, and apparently Przybilla will strongly consider the offer from the Pistons. Reached at about 8 p.m. Portland time, Duffy said he expects Przybilla to make his decision by Tuesday morning after spending a night mulling."

ALSO:
Bye Bye Ben: Wallace To Sign With Bulls

[Detroit Free Press]

Big Ben will run with the Bulls
According to a person close to the negotiations, the Bulls had offered something closer to four years, $60 million to bring the NBA's top defensive stopper to the Windy City.

The deal was expected to be finalized late Monday or early today with Wallace's oral agreement. He can't sign an official contract until July 12 because of the NBA's rules on free agency.

Either way, the news leaves the Pistons facing a tough question: What do they do now?

DREW SHARP: Pistons wise not to match Bulls
The Bulls' offer of four years for about $60 million -- according to the Free Press -- is financial suicide for a player with special gifts but lacking in some important areas to merit such a long-term investment. In their minds, they strengthened themselves by weakening the Pistons.

But keeping a core intact that went to four straight Eastern Conference finals with two straight trips to the NBA Finals and a league championship in 2004 wasn't worth the financially crippling effects of matching or topping the Bulls' offer.

Let him go. Wish him well. Thank him for the memories.

[Yahoo! Sports]

DAN WETZEL: The Wild, Wild East
As bad a contract as Detroit was willing to give Ben Wallace, a guy who displayed almost no offense at all under Flip Saunders, the Pistons will rue the day they allowed Chicago to outbid them. It's not that Wallace is worth that money – he isn't. It is that with Big Ben it is the Pistons – not the aging Heat – who enter next season as the favorites in the East. There still was time to take a run at one more championship.

Instead, Detroit won't win this year so it can be more competitive – but certainly not title worthy – in 2010 and 2011. It is my guess that fans would have traded a shot at the Finals in 2007 for losing in the first round, rather than the second, in a couple of years.

[New York Times]

Bulls Lure Ben Wallace from the Pistons
Ben Wallace, the defensive player of the year and the anchor of the tough-minded Detroit Pistons, shook up the N.B.A. last night when he agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, according to two people with knowledge of Wallace's plans.

The two people, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they cannot comment on players until the league approves all deals beginning July 12, said the Pistons were offering Wallace a four-year deal worth about $49 million.

Wallace running to the Bulls
Pistons' cornerstone agrees to four-year, $59.6 million deal to play for division rival Chicago
By DANA GAURUDER

AUBURN HILLS - The phrase "Fear the 'Fro" has a new meaning. All-Star Ben Wallace has joined one of the Detroit Pistons' division rivals.

Unhappy with the Pistons contract offer, Wallace agreed to a four-year, $59.6 million contract with the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. He will make $14 million next season, with increases of 8.5 percent over the life of the contract.



NBA Comix: I’m so sad that I can’t think up a funny headline

The headline says it all. Or most of it. Big Ben was the heart & soul of the Pistons, and now he’s gone. Stuff like that reminds you that even though you may get into the team aspect of the game, it comes down to the Benjamins in the end (insert stupid pun here).





UPDATED: Nazr Mohammed goes to Detroit
by Johnny Ludden


Spurs coach Gregg Popovich likes to joke that Tim Duncan hates being called a center. Next season, Duncan might not have much choice.

Nazr Mohammed, who started at center during the Spurs’ 2005 championship run, left the team Tuesday after agreeing to a four-year, $25 million contract with Detroit.





Mohammed might fill void
Center gets 4-year deal for $25 million, but McDyess and Davis will contend for starting role.
by Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- The Pistons have taken a step toward restructuring their lineup after Ben Wallace's departure.

Pistons president Joe Dumars confirmed Tuesday that an agreement had been reached with eight-year veteran center Nazr Mohammed on a four-year deal worth approximately $25 million.

Also on Tuesday, officials confirmed that Lindsey Hunter had agreed to a two-year deal worth $4.5 million. Hunter is expected to take a job in the Pistons front office at the end of that deal.





Wallace pumps up Bulls 2007 Championship Odds
Sportsbook.com odds change after monster signing - Chicago's surge, Detroit's flounder

NEW YORK, July 4 /PRNewswire/ - The Chicago Bulls are looking to rise again, stealing away Ben Wallace from the Detroit Pistons for a reported $60 million. The deal won't be finalized before the July 12th moritorium, but odds have already shifted at sportsbook.com, the world's largest online sportsbook and casino.

The Chicago Bulls odds have improved with Wallace on the roster, leaping from 40-1 to 14-1 to win the NBA Championship in 2007. The Detroit Pistons odds have fallen from 4-1 to 8-1 with the loss of their starting center and the League's top defender.




Przybilla Stays With Portland
Posted By: Kori Ellis

According to several reports, bigman Joel Przybilla has chosen to stay in Portland. Przybilla also received offers from both San Antonio and Detroit, but decided to take the 5-year, $30 million deal from the Trail Blazers.

According to OregonLive.com, the Spurs reportedly offered a 4-year, $24 million deal. The 26-year-old spent the last two seasons with Portland.

Pistons must search for new identity
Mike Kahn / Special to FOXSports.com

Big Ben cashing in changes everything.

In a startling move that promises to change the balance of power in the NBA's Eastern Conference, four-time defensive player of the year Ben Wallace has agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract with the Chicago Bulls — leaving the Detroit Pistons with a huge hole in the middle.

The Pistons, who won the NBA championship in 2004 and lost in the seventh game of the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs in '05, lost to the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals — and Wallace's uneven play, coupled with his constant questioning of new coach Flip Saunders' offensive orientation, rapidly changed a scenario that appeared to be chiseled in stone.

ROB PARKER: 'Business Decision' doesn't diminish Wallace's six great years
It would be silly to be upset at Wallace for taking a four-year, $60 million deal from the Bulls. The offer made by the Pistons -- a reported $49.6 million for four years -- was respectable, but not enough.

This was all about business, not basketball.

"I appreciate everything that happened in Detroit," Wallace said. "Fans supported me 100 percent. They adopted me as one of their sons. I'm thankful for that."

Is Wallace being selfish? Sure, a little. He's also being smart, landing a few million more per season than the Pistons would pay. In his departure, he reminded us how unique Yzerman truly was, able to adapt to so many coaches and so many styles.

Basketball is different, though, harder for players to hide their age and their offensive deficiencies. I'm not saying Big Ben had to go. I'm saying he had to adapt to stay, and he seemed unwilling or incapable of doing it.

MICHAEL ROSENBERG: There are no winners
It's not about the money. It's about what the money represents.

Wallace wanted affirmation that he is one of the best players in the NBA. (This is why he asked for $20 million annually to start negotiations -- a hilariously high asking price that tells you all you need to know about Ben's image of his ability.) Joe Dumars knew Ben needed that affirmation, which is why Dumars kept talking about making Ben the highest-paid player on the team and calling him the Pistons' "cornerstone." Dumars wanted Wallace to feel as loved at $48 million as he would at $60 million.
It was a good strategy. It didn't work. And when Wallace told the Detroit News that the Pistons' offer was "disappointing" and "wasn't altogether fair," you could see the fire coming out of Bill Davidson's nose.
[$20 million? Hard to believe. A typo, maybe?]

New center: Mohammed to fill Big Ben's big shoes
One day after Wallace picked a richer deal from the Chicago Bulls over another four years at a lower price in Detroit, a person with the team confirmed that the Pistons had replaced their longtime center with Mohammed, a 6-foot-10 NBA nomad. Mohammed agreed to a five-year deal that starts at the mid-level exception of $5.3 million. With an 8.5% pay increase each season, Mohammed, 28, will earn $30 million through the life of the deal, although the final year is expected to be a player option.

Team owner Bill Davidson was among front-office officials bothered by Wallace's negative public reaction to Detroit's offer.

In addition to angering Davidson, Wallace also upset some of his teammates, including one who said he was "shocked" that a contract that would make the 31-year-old Wallace the highest-paid player in franchise history apparently wasn't enough to convince him to return to the team he has been an integral part of for the past six seasons. Others, however, understood his position.

[Detroit News]

Summer Pistons will start Saturday
AUBURN HILLS -- The Pistons will have a familiar name in the backcourt during their Toshiba Vegas Summer League play, which begins Saturday.
Rodney Billups, the younger brother of point guard Chauncey Billups, is in camp. A 5-foot-10 guard, Rodney Billups is a graduate of the University of Denver and played last season in Latvia.

SCHEDULE
July 8 Washington 5 p.m.
July 10 Phoenix 9 p.m.
July 11 New York 9 p.m.
July 13 LA Clippers 8 p.m.
July 14 Boston 4 p.m.

[MLive.com]

FULL-COURT PRESS: Ben Wallace audio notes
Ben Wallace tells WDFN that there are multiple reasons he's heading to Chicago, but he wants to let his emotions calm before he reveals his reasoning. Ben says it wasn't about money, his teammates or his relationship with Flip Saunders, but he does mention that his role in the offense really bothered him.

Notes are paraphrased ...

[Booth Newspapers]

Plain and simple, Wallace took the higher-paying job
For six years, we watched Ben Wallace do some pretty amazing things, the kind of things that made us feel as though he was different from everyone else.

As we found out Monday night, he's really not that different than the guy making minimum wage who wants a job with better pay, or the corporate executive who takes a similar position with a higher-paying rival company.

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Uncork the forks: Pistons will be alright
No doubt, this is an offseason of flux, but it is not the end. All is not lost. The team's most recognizeable face was arguably it's third or fourth most valuable player. And while the Pistons will not be title favorites next season after this past postseason debacle, they should still have enough to finish significantly higher than many expect. And, bonus, there's now plenty of room on the Blue bandwagon. Hop on now to reserve the prime "I told you so"-seats come next season.

But leave those silly-ass fake 'fros and inflatable Bens behind.

[Need4Sheed.com]

Ben Wallace Talks: Video
ALSO
Good Times, Ain't We Lucky We Got 'Em
Sure this is not the Pistons team that we have all grown to love. Of course Nazr is no Ben Wallace, but this is how professional basketball is played, on and off the court. I can see the light at the end of this tunnel. Carlos Delfino is going to see some serious court time, get his confidence up and show Flip that he, instead of Evans was the go to guy. Jason Maxiell is about to see what the NBA is really all about and I think he's ready. Amir Johnson might even get a chance to play some minutes and show us what he can do. I am looking toward the future and right now it looks bright.

[Chicago Daily Herald]

Pros and cons of Bulls' big move
So now Wallace is a Bull, with an official signing due July 12, while Chandler appears headed to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for veteran power forward P.J. Brown and third-year shooting guard J.R. Smith.

Adding Wallace was a bold move, without question. But was it smart to give up on the 23-year-old Chandler while paying Wallace an average of $15 million per season? Let the debate begin.

[Sporting News]

Different in Detroit could make the Pistons better
Losing Wallace means Detroit will have to alter its personality, but fact is, the Pistons were changing personalities anyway. Defense had been the Pistons' calling card for the previous four years under coaches Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown. Under Flip Saunders, though, the Pistons were more offensive-minded during their cruise through the regular season. It was only in the playoffs that they seemed to lose their way, becoming a confused muddle of the defensive team they had been and the offensive team Saunders made them.