Do you think losing Ben Wallace will hurt the Pistons a lot?

Question

Well I remember they were fouling him in close games coz they figured he couldn't make a free throw and hey! they were right? I think he was treated well in Detroit too. Ungrateful punk.

Answer 1

Who knows? Maybe their next center might be able to hit a layup. Not to mention maybe he'll be able to shoot 50% from the foul line...

Answer 2

Oooooh yes. Short trem it's going to hurt. They were getting roasted by good power forwards all season long (though still winning the games) and that trend will increase without Ben. He won those awards for a reason. He's one of the best defenders in the league. They'll still make the second round of the playoffs, maybe go as far as the eastern finals if the Cavs don't re-sign Gooden and LeBron doesn't make the leadership leap this year (I think after the all star break he'll get it all happening though.) But let's be honest. With Ben they could have made another run at the finals. With Nazr.... not so much. Especially because they haven't improved their bench, like they have needed to every year, and because Flip is heading up-tempo, and their front court is NOT up tempo. Flip needs to look at what he's got, slow it down, put the clamps on defensively and hope Tayshaun's offensive skill set has improved in the off season so he can become the man when they need him to.

Long term - let's be realistic now. The Pistons time was past. In this shape any way. They didn't have the parts needed for a run. Look for a disapointing season to instigate some trades next off-season that land the Pistons some nice up and coming players and a bench. Look for 'Sheed and Rip to be gone in favour of a more athletic look and some draft picks, or if they're really lucky, for Kevin Garnett (don't hold your breath). If they kept Ben, the Pistons would have been locked into this line up for 3 or more years because it was just good enough to keep the fans hoping and happy. Now management can make some moves. They'll have to go down a bit before they go back up, and they may never have a front court that good again, but Billups and Prince are a solid core to build around, and plenty of teams would love to get their hands on 'Sheed or Hamilton at the cost of a first round draft pick and a young up-and-comer.

The Pistons biggest mistake was not letting Ben go. It was trading Darko. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, I know, but considering that Detroit were the only team that could have known if he was any good or not, I think it's a legitamite beef. He obviously has potential and the Pistons need him now.

Finally, for all the credit we give Dumars for making the right trades and taking unwanted players and turning them into champs, he deserves some critisisim. He stopped thinking long term once they won the ring. He started being cautious, careful, unwilling to risk, unwilling to make changes. Biggest mistake for a GM. If you look at San Antonio, they keep popping back up to win because they know that teams have a certain window, and then the league adapts to them. Detroit took people by surprise a little bit, but now everyone knows how they work. Same goes for Miami. Don't expect a repeat. They were built for once only. But with the right trades they can contend well into the future.

So losing Ben is bad for the Pistons. But not the worst that could have happened. The worst would be keeping him.

Answer 3

Yes, unfortunately.

He should've agreed to a 2 year contract at 15 million a year, and perhaps he would've gotten it. However, a four year deal at that price is just reediculous. It's been shown that most players can retain their defensive skills longer than others can have their offensive skills. If he could show that he was worth the money over those two years, perhaps he could've gotten another 2 or 3 at the same cost.

I think the Pistons will lose 20 more games next year because of this...but I really wonder how much of a factor Ben was this year. I think he left because of Flip, and if that's true, maybe he just wasn't given a chance to show his true strengths last year.

Answer 4

It will hurt the Pistons. Ben Wallace was defensive player of the year 4 times. Nazr Mohammed will not be able to replace Wallace but at least he is an ok center.

Answer 5

Yes,that team will never be the same,the have just lost there heart and soul of there team i don't think Nazr Muhammad will take the place of Ben Wallace,the pistons will probably make it to the second round but i guarantee you die-hard pistons fans that THE PISTONS WILL NOT WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!

Answer 6

losing Ben Wallace will definitaly hurt the Pistons and that their replacement may help a little bit, but not as much as Ben Wallace helped. I'm a pistons fan so its sucks for us that hes gone and i think they aren't going to make it into the finals

Answer 7

yes the pistons defense was glued around big ben and now there is a big hole to fill for nazr muhammed coach saunders has to create a defensive scheme that will help the pistons. although nazr muhammed can help them score a little more than ben could

Answer 8

No. My Pistons can and will be victorious with or without Ben Wallace.

Answer 9

Yes ! I think that Pistons will be much weaker ! Wallace was their most reliable player !

Answer 10

Well offensively it won't hurt them much he was never a great scorer. But unless someone else can step up defensively it will definately hurt them. But they can always just outscore the other team to win.