although I wanted Ben to leave somehow, now that it's official, it disturbs me- sometimes in live you need to lose something to realize how good it was. The way he leaves pisses me off- no sign and trade, we get nothing back. The current team only has "I think I'm a darker, bigger version of Steve Kerr"- Rahsheed under the basket and I think Joe only has the MLE to replace Ben, that's not much. Anyhow, I don't think we would have made the finals even with Ben, so Joe can take this as a chance to rebuild it a little bit, to get younger, to involve AJ and Jmax, to realize that trading Darko maybe was a bad deal, maybe the badest deal that he's ever done. Maybe we're wittnessing the end of an era that actually never started. Or Ben doesn't deliver in Chicago and Darko gets injured badly, while Joe picks a new Shaq with the Orl pick- he'd look like a lucky genius.
When Flip did that I got a really bad feeling that Ben wouldn't be back. You don't build a team around a guy like Ben, and then say, hey have a seat and watch your teammates get eliminated. Ben's tone changed a lot after that game, and it may have been the last straw. Nice going, Flip.
who knows, maybe this will open our offense up. obviously our D is going to suffer tremendously, but no more hack-a-ben, no more 4 v 5 offense. flip, you better make something of this, you got your wish. now looking forward to seeing some guys like j-max getting a fair run. thanks for the memories ben. you are now the enemy.
If Ben had made a differnce in the game he wouldn't have been sitting while the team was trying to get more offense... I like a good conspiracy as much as the next guy but it seems to be more about the Benjamines
Ugh. I can't see Ben as the enemy. Even on the Bulls. And as much as I hate that team, I always wanted to see Rodman do well there--of course it was easier at the time, when the Pistons didn't play any games against them that actually mattered.
enemy. opponent. guy on a team we have to beat. it all adds up to the same thing. but no way i hate the guy, i will definitely be following how he goes in chicago. my ben wallace jersey has now become a 'retro' jersey. i'm still not sure how i feel about this. i'm disappointed, but it could be one of those 'good for the future' things. but for the present, the survey says... BAA-BOOOWWWWW!
Joe may as well blow up the team, start anew. I have never been a fan of mediocrity,I'd rather have a lottery team with a chance at a great pick than a first round KO possibility picking in the 20's, and I see no reason to play it safe when at the end you really don't have a team that will ever compete for a championship in June. Unless Joe has something really good planned (NOT Joel P.) It may be time to reshuffle the deck.
Cats around here are a tad too sad. Sounds like Kleenex time. Honestly...I think this will work out for the best (not naivete on my part). Ben only had two good years in him...no need to blow the loot for two good years (maybe 1?). Team can still be very good.
This is not a lottery team by any means..... I'm kinda relieved and scared at the same time now that the Ben issue is resolved. But yep, now that we know where the chips lie, we can look deal.
Does this mean a mass exodous to the Chicago Bulls boards? Of course not. The Ben fans are real Pistons fans. Unlike the driftwood groupies. So it looks like Flip won the power struggle between himself and Ben. Does this mean Flip is staying. (Geez...talk about adding insult to injury)!!! Przybilla played for the Gophers while Flip coached the Wolves. Coincidence?
I agree, and I think Joe might trade him this summer. I considered Ben to be the least replaceable Piston, based on these criteria: 1. Do you have the cap space and/or trade assets to approximately replace what this guy brings to the team? (including leadership qualities) 2. If not, how much would it hurt the team if his replacement were only average? The answer to this questions for Ben are no, and a lot. There are a lot more combo guards out there who could potentially step into the Chauncey role, so he's more replaceable. It might be time to trade him now, while he still has some time left on his contract, if you're unwilling to pay free agents their market value. Otherwise he just walks and you get nothing.
The more I think about it, the more I think $48 million for four was a good offer by the Pistons. It's a good offer for a guy who doesn't score much and is horrible from the free-throw line. Hate to see him go, of course, but the Bulls overpaid to get Ben. Ben, feeling flattered, had an easy decision.
Seriously, what are the chances of getting Zo? Imagine the current roster with Zo swatting shots away and setting a tone of toughness.
I had hoped Ben would be the first pro-athlete to break the bigger-bux-are-better mold. When you're making mega-millions to play a game, what the hell difference does a few extra million really make? There is no conspiracy involved...Flipper poisoned the punch...blame BillD for not installing child-locks on his cabinets. Watch the roof blow off the Palace the first night Ben returns. I'm in a somber mood today, but this one always brings a smile to my face so I thot I'd share: How Not To Get Your Ass Kicked By The Police
Wow, what a trade. Tho, just because we got Ben does not make us all of a sudden a contending team. However, I think I can speak for fellow bulls fans when I say that this is one of the best things to happen to this team in a looooooong time. Good luck next year.
That works. Actually, if it's the article from the first post in this thread, it's the original announcement from last night. There wasn't anything interesting in there before they made it Insider content. DOH, the first post article is not Insider content.
