Chicago lets go of Ben Wallace which was their main mission. He seemed like a cancer over there so they accomplished what they wanted. In Cleveland, we'll just have to see how the new MIX of players start to jell. This will be a defining moment for Big Ben's career. Was Chicago just a fluke, or is he now viewed as a malcontent who just had the right mix of players in Detroit. I see Cleveland as weakened by the trade with LBJ looking at leaving the Cavs as a worst case senario. Cleveland also picked up a 3 point shooter who seems to just float from one team to another. From a team chemistry point, anything could happen in Cleveland. Seattle gets the best of this deal.
Ben's gotta be happy. He's going to play for the defending EC champ. Coach Urkle will have his work cut out for him to make this team gel, but when you have LeBron, these things are more realistic. The LeBron Factor can have an effect in many ways, including team cohesion when you make a deal like this with some 30 games to play. I thought it was a gutsy move by Danny Ferry. Even if it doesn't work out, I like the attempt.
This post brought to you by: 670 The Score - Homepage The best radio sports talk in the land (accoRding to a man who has spent the last 20 years living in DETROIT, FTJACKSON, AUGUSTA, BREMERHAVEN, NASHVILLE,INDIANAPOLIS, ELPASO, KUWAIT, RHIYADH, WURZBURG, MILWAUKEE, HOUSTON and RALEIGH-CARY): I just got through listening to a local interview with john paxson and he sounded like a very disillusioned man. Here are some highlights: 1. SIGNING and NOW 'trading' WALLACE: He admitted after getting beat down by Shaq two years ago, he listened to the experts that said he needed an inside presence.Thats why they signed Ben. Then last year they start coming together around the time they lost in 6 to the pistons. Then this year, they underestimated the loss of PJBrown and Sweetney and Allen as team 'beef guys'. 2. NOAH and THOMAS: Really overestimated their upside. But Skiles' ego really pulled a Flip-like emotional drop in BEN. Then when Thomas and Noah got the minutes, they underachieved. 3. NOT TRADING FOR GASOL: He could have traded Gordon or Heinrich and lots of fluff for Gasol. They had far more to offer Memphis than Lakers did. But skiles and pax were stubborn as hell. Imagine this Bulls lineup: Nocioni, Gasol, Wallace, Heinrich and Deng. Now they have: Deng, Gooden, Thomas, Hughes, Hienrich, Nocioni, Noah and Gordon. I just dont get what the Bulls were doing.... NOW to the CAVS: F-James F- Wallace C- Z G- West G- Pavolic Wally, Smith, Boodie and varajeo DO U REALLY THING THE PISTONS ARE SCARED? I'll take chemistry over quanity any day(see The NYGiants). Wallace is the key. If he can give James 35 minutes and 12 rebounds/3 blocks, they'll get past Boston.. ..just not past us.
Good analysis but I think we have to remind ourselfs that we are not the East Champs anymore - they are.
Yes sir..another reason for my sarcasm on behalf of the Pistons who LOST to a worse team than the Cavs have now. I believe the Pistons NEED to be scared and start to play like it. I wish the Cavs would have stood pat to show their fans and THEMSELVES that WE ARE the Champs and we CAN beat you again. I think this trade has made them 'more' vulnerable. It's why we havent traded our Starting 5. We dont 'believe' we've lost yet, just given the ECF away. Detroit 'can' make the Finals: its up to FLIP and SHOT to lead us.
chauncey owns delonte. delonte's shot is erratic. wally is average, no way he can guard rip better than hughes did. gooden always killed us with jumpers and surprisingly good defense. sheed plays better against ben. smith scares no one. our problem was not against other teams' interior defenders, it was chauncey and rip getting hounded. adding ben doesn't have much effect against us - we don't throw it down in the low block as often or have guards (besides stuckey) who look to penetrate constantly. to me this is great, chauncey and rip should have a field day.
Actually, Smith went nuts on us in the Bulls' wins over the Pistons so far this year, didn't he? Aside from that, I largely agree with your points here.
Isn't Smith known as the Pistons killer? His best game of the year was: 31 points/ 11 rebounds/ 1 ast/ 1 stl/ 4 blcks/ 0 turnovers 11-17 from the field and 9-10 from the line. In February, he has scored 27, 25, 19, 17, 16, 14, 9, and 8. I'm telling you, he has been the Bulls best player this year.
playoffs are a different beast. look at chicago last year (with ben and a better jump-shooter than smith with pj brown)
Double-double for Ben in his first game as a Cavalier in a 20-point win over the hapless Grizzlies. NBA - Memphis Grizzlies/Cleveland Cavaliers Box Score Sunday February 24, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports ESPN - Memphis vs. Cleveland - Recap - February 24, 2008 What's funny about this game is that Darko is on the bench and Kwame is starting. They had a whole 3 points between them. I guess Memphis is set at the center position. Looks like Joe Smith had a decent game.
i'm happy about this. ben wallace is a locker room cancer. i'm glad he'll be messing up cleveland's chemistry by wanting more shots and not wanting to give up minutes to verajao or big z.
I find it hard to understand how you can call Ben a cancer, who always plays nice in the press and never disses his team or teammates; and yet you are in love with a player like Delfino, who on occasion gave interviews about how discontented he was in Detroit and how he wanted out. Delfino was more of a cancer than Ben will ever be. Want proof? We traded Delf for 2nd round picks. If we could have gotten something better for the whiny crybaby, we would have. Please.
I'm shocked as well. I would have went more the route of "locker room gout" , or "locker room food poisoning" or "locker room psoriasis"..... Cancer is too harsh. I'd be willing to meet this halfway and submit "locker room cirrhosis" - he's sort of like Alcohol see..... good in small quantities, fun to have around, but too much for too long and all of a sudden your team is walking around with a yellow hue. Ah, like most things...the real answer is somewhere in the middle.
Noah just took 20 rebounds away from Ben, including 10 offensive boards. That beats what Darko did to him pretty easily.
