Does Ben Wallace = $100 Mill?

What many of us fail to realize is that, even if the Pistons want to pay ben $100 mil, they can't.

Suppose we offer him the max next season for 6 years, which will start at around $12.5mil (assuming next year's cap is $50mil), the total of the contract is gonna be like 92mil instead of $100mil.

Besides, it is very likely the contract will run for 5 years instead of 6, a la Rasheed's case. Joe D said he won't engage in extension talk with Ben this offseason, but that doesn't mean he won't do it during the season. If the extension does happen during the season, the max years you can put in will be 5. That would cap the total amount of the extension at $75m. So I think the speculation of ASB at mlive is quite reasonable, with a five-year for $60-65mil.

I can handle 5 for 60, but where is Darko and Billups money coming from. The problem with Darko is he is a young 7 footer with upside and potential, so although he doesnt have the numbers, if dalembert can get 40 then darko will be close to a max type contract

Welcome Wall of Aces... I think it's fair to assume that Ben will not be extended during the year... which means 6 years is technically possible... unlikely J.D. will do 6 years but still possible.

Anyone willing to talk CBA is alright in my book.

Ben is not worth 100 million. The guy is at his peak and will start on his decline. If he was droping 20 pts and 10 rebounds every night and shot 80% from the free throw line and was 26 then he would be worth a 100 million. At the age of 31 or 32 when the contract is signed no way is he worth that much. Ben is worth about 65 to70 million for 5 years no more. That is more than enough reward for Big Ben.

One Hundred Million Dollas!!

Unfortunately there are no superstars on the Pistons, so no one deserves $100M even if it was for 10 years. If one of them had singlehandedly led the team to a repeat last year, then maybe we could talk about it. Ben was more of a terror the prior season then he was last year. Watching game seven again today he was the spark that got them going, but they were never going to win that game on some one else's court unless we had a real superstar of our own on their court. We did it with team work in 2004, but 2005 we just ran out of gas.

Ben worth it all

Practically every team in the league would do what they had to do to sign Ben Wallace. He is a major impact player. One of a very few in the game today. The intangibles are not intangible, BBall, they are real. My Laker friend finally got it last year telling me--it's Ben Wallace--he creates havoc everywhere on defense. The writing was on the wall after the Laker's finals. If you re-sign the key Pistons in the next cycle, you will have to pay dollars. That's just the way it is. Keep this team together and have fun in this Piston's era.

i wholeheartedly, 110% agree.

if we let Ben go because of money issues, i'll lose a huge amount of respect for JoeD and the entire franchise.

with all the BS contracts given out based on pure potential, Ben deserves a FAT contract for what he's done. what he's done for the team, the city, and for us fans.

Ben Wallace IS Detroit Pistons basketball.

i have a feeling JoeD will sign Ben to a big contract and i have no objections.

big is one thing. 100 million is a different issue. i'll lose a lot of respect if ben asks for 100 million. you don't give out hindsight contracts that destroy your future. if joe was holding out when he negotiated with tay he will negotiate responsibly with ben too.

so you would rather give out a contract based on the past instead of what a player is going to do in the future?? the past has already happened he has been paid for that. i understand loyalty but loyalty to ben should not sink the franchise.

ben wallace IS not pistons basketball.

intangibles are not worth 100 million ask darvin ham. we have a young 7 footer that is creating havoc on defense and is only going to get better. ben is in his declining years. you don't sign a declining non superstar player to that kind of money. we resigned tay for 50 mil ben is not worth double what tay is to the pistons.

i'm definitely not a salary cap guru, so i'm not sure what the ceiling is that we can afford to pay Ben. $100M does sound rather high and i'm willing to wager Ben is not going to ask for that much. I'm sure there's respect on both sides, so i'm sure there will be good negotiations. i seem to remember Ben talking about honoring his current contract when he had a chance to opt-out and sign a bigger one. his frankness about being satisfied with the money he earns now, leads me to believe that Ben won't be looking to cripple the franchise.

i'm just sad to hear people's attitude that "we've already paid Ben for what he's done". we should pay him for what he's done for the franchise, city, and fans. if you don't think he deserves it, remind me never to work for you.

Ben is the franchise player for this team. Ben is the most popular person on the team in this state and nationwide. Ben is regarded by MOST people as the MVP of the team. He's consistently voted as an All-Star in the East which shows his popularity throughout the NBA.

yes, you do reward Ben for what he's done.

it's sad you feel that way.

ben's play embodies what the team's all about.

It's funny that we keep assuming that Ben Wallace is on his decline. Every season Ben Wallace does at least 100 things that make me say, "Whoa, Ben is a FREAK of nature" Ben has reflexes that are simply mind boggling, his feet, and hands (although small) are just off the charts. Who knows, Ben very well could be the next Karl Malone, I mean he does have the same commitment to strength and conditioning that Karl had/has. Worth $100 mill NOPE!!!! worth 4 years $60 mill, YUP!!! Or Ben could be the next Bo Outlaw, once the hops go, everything goes with it and you're latching onto teams for the vet min.

good point...i was wondering about this yesterday. can we compare Ben's possible longevity to anyone else in the NBA?

Karl Malone and Alonzo Mourning came to mind. all three workout like crazy and are effective given their age.

the question in the poll is ben worth 100 million dollars. the answer is simply no. i think ben deserves to get paid just not in the 100 million dollar range.

ben is not the franchise player. actually ben isn't regarded as mvp chauncey was finals mvp and would have been this year if we won it. tay would have been the regular season mvp if lb had saved his legs. ben is not voted the all star in the east. he is being named to the team almost as a sympathy vote. it shows his popularity among the coaches not the fans.

i wasn't doing a complete comparison i was comparing an aspect of thier game. intangibles they both have them but it simply isn't worth 100 million or a roster spot. but it is worth a playoff roster spot if your coach is lb.

i disagree with that. if you can't put a value on it that doesn't mean it's priceless. it just means you have to make up a system to quantify it. you can't just look at hard numbers. for example darvin hams intangibles aren't worth as much as ben's intangible's.

still trying to downplay everything darko does. now when he does it in the sixers game. you'll say he still hasn't done it with dalembert in the game. i'm not saying darko is ready to step in right now. i'm saying darko's emergence is making an offer of 100 million to ben very dumb.

some teams are willing to overpay for talent just to get players to play for them. it's the way of the league. the pistons are not one of those teams. so ben and a 100 million dollar contract won't be happening.

yeah. i think ben will have a career year. he will be more rested and he'll be healthy. flips offense will also help him because ben will be only responsible for finishing instead of making his own move. but his age and lack of drive in the finals and bone spurs is in my head when i say he is on the decline. he's not a 100 million dollar investment based on age alone.

tay is just as responsible for our title runs. tay puts the clamps down on reggie, kobe, tmac, artest, iverson he's our perimeter ben. tay has the intangibles too. ben can be replaced by committee by guys we already have under contract sitting on our bench. jmax,mcdyess,darko

yup. in normal situations the window is just now. joe d is building a team that will contend for years and years. not just make a run then rebuild. signing ben to a 100 million dollar contract will definitely restrict us to a 3 year window.

leading the nba in blocks and hitting his free throws and making the defense honest being an offensive threat makes darko deserve a bigger role. you know it's not as simple as being better than the guy in front of you. darko rode the pine much too much last 2 years to say that. darvin ham shouldn't touch the floor for this comment to be true. darko isn't ready this year but he will be soon. he's been good enough to show that not signing ben if he demands too much money is a viable option. maybe you are player hating on darko???

ben was a part of the march to the promised land. i wouldn't exactly say he led us. darko has as many rings as ben does. they are both champions. he can't realize his potential if we are locking up old legs for long term contracts at 100 million. he'll be realizing that potential with joe johnson or with lebron or somebody on another team. while we are stuck with bone spur wallace making fat checks into the lottery.

Ok, now I know you are just putting us on, and arguing for arguments sake. LOL. You really had me going there for a minute. I admit, I thought you were serious with some of those other posts.

Good one!

Ben is most coveted Piston

I agree with Microwave's complete comments. No way Darko is in Ben's shoes or even close. Maybe some day, but not now. I am fortunate to know a lot of knowledgable Laker fans here. They were stunned by their defeat. But now they get it and the one guy they would want for the Lakers is Ben Wallace. I think that would be true with most teams in the NBA. As Micro said, it is supply and demand. How many centers can play at Ben's level?