32. Ben Wallace
With summer dragging on and on and on before the NBA tips off, we’ve decided to initiate a multipart series that will be the definitive look at the best players in the NBA today. Over the next month or so we’ll run down the 50 guys that we think are the 50 best players, right here, right now. Today, Natalie Sitto from Need4Sheed takes a look at Ben Wallace…
With summer dragging on and on and on before the NBA tips off, we’ve decided to initiate a multipart series that will be the definitive look at the best players in the NBA today.
Over lunch at the Outback Steakhouse (word to Steve Irwin), your crack SLAMonline.com staff sat down and ranked the 50 best players in the NBA today. We realize that’s kind of ambiguous, but that’s how basketball is and that’s how we like it. Basically, though, we tried to list the 50 guys we think have the most value to their teams, right now, at this moment. This doesn’t mean they’ll never be traded, and it doesn’t mean they’re due tremendous contract extensions, but it does mean — since value is king in the NBA — that over the next month or so we’ll run down the 50 guys that we think are the 50 best players, right here, right now.
Before long it’ll be time for our annual NBA team previews. Right now it’s time for some law and order…
32. Ben Wallace
By Natalie Sitto of Need4Sheed.com
For a non-drafted player from a small school like Virginia Union University, Big Ben Wallace has done big things. Wallace turned himself into an All Star on drive, determination and athletic ability alone. When Wallace came to Detroit in a deal that sent Grant Hill to the Magic, he was merely a name that was thrown in to get the deal done. Who knew that his hard work, and defensive abilities would turn him into the face of Detroit’s franchise and lead them to a NBA Championship. Now Ben takes his grit and leadership abilities to a young and talented Bulls team to see if he can replicate his winning ways and maybe add another ring to his finger.
Sure the man can’t hit free throws but that’s not what he’s on the court to do. Ben Wallace has built his entire career on hard work and there are 60 million reasons why it’s paid off for him. This four time defensive player of the year brings more to his team than just blocked shots and rebounds. Ben Wallace does something that very few players in this league can do, he can change the course of a game without ever touching the ball. His mere presence on court can force any offense into making quick adjustments to avoid that big body in the paint. If that wasn’t enough his best asset is his ability to make that always timely defensive stop that changes the momentum of the game in his teams favor.
Some say Chicago overpaid for Wallace and that he’s on the downside of his career. Only time will tell how Ben’s going to fare in The Windy City but I have a feeling his Fro is going to hold up quite well.
45 Responses to “32. Ben Wallace”
Oct.3 at 2:39 pm
Will says:
Big Ben Wallace greatest contribution to Chicago might be imparting that hard nosed play to other Chi players especially younger players such as Tyrus Thomas, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon.
Chicago ae exceptionally good on defense with Wallace at the back and Kirk on the ball.
But still … no low post scoring they can go to in the 4th Q.
Oct.3 at 2:40 pm
Jason says:
Did you see Ben Wallace’s media day photo? He is dressed as a cop. What’s even more funny is the Detroit media day photo. They had the other 4 players standing around looking lost. Something was definitely missing.
Oct.3 at 2:42 pm
Danny T says:
Theyll definately be better defensively but yeah they got nothing in the post. but if scott skiles played michael sweetney more then maybe theyll have something there
Oct.3 at 2:50 pm
my invisible siamese twin is an asshole says:
ben wallace higher than j-kidd?! umm… nope..
Oct.3 at 3:01 pm
Carlos says:
If Benny wallace was still on the pistons their fans would be going crazy right now in his defense instead not so baby bulls fans are still jerkin it to the MJ days and crying about losing to the wizards in the 05 playoffs. If lamar odom is ranked higher than wallace the slam peeps must have been drinking some strong kool aid at the outback steakhouse. Hope it wasnt any of that orange flavored tequila that shit sucks.
Oct.3 at 3:07 pm
CASHVILLE says:
Ben “the Beast” Wallace is worth every bit of that 60 million. If you’re the Pistons, how can you let this man go. How can you be a defensive team and let go of your best defensive player? He’s a good look for the Bulls who need that tough veteran leadership. Sorry for the cliche’ but hard work pays off and Ben always gives 110%. Alright, I’ll stop!!
Oct.3 at 3:17 pm
Shiz says:
Im leary about undersized centers and even more so about undersized pf’s playing center. Sure Ben is good now, but he’s on the decline and he doesn’t have Yao’s height or Shaq’s…um…gerth to be as effective for as long. Gotta laugh every time he shoots. and dont give me that “his wrist pops outta socket” crap. He shouldn’t be shooting at all. At least with Rodman, when he threw up an airball, he’d just shrug, laugh and do that silly ass trot back down the court. And proceed to body Karl Malone all the way to the locker room. But Big Benny really thinks he can become a consistant scoring threat…Benny, I love ya, but scoring aint yo thang! Good character guy…makes my All “lemons-to-lemonade” team. As opposed to my All “sugar-to-shit” team featuring the likes of Chris Webber, Rickey Davis, Darius Miles, Quinten Richardson, Tim Thomas, Nick Anderson, his hanky, and Dennis Scott sans traumatized 8th graders, of course.
Oct.3 at 3:19 pm
Shiz says:
OH yeah, I was sick yesterday so I couldnt really weigh in on Mikey Redd. Like that Seinfield episode where George and Jerry are in the locker room…he’s a chuck.
Oct.3 at 3:39 pm
albie1kenobi says:
Rodman was way undersize as a PF (6′6″ or 6′7″) and remembered he guarded Shaq at times? amazing. anyway, Rodman actually had some sort of scoring ability (24.4 ppg & 17.8 boards for a year in Southeastern Oklahoma State University), so at least he could do it at another level. and if you’ve watched him play with Bulls, he actually made free throws when they count at crunch time (i remember him saving the Bulls once or twice in the Finals with offensive rebounds and made FTs). not to mention his passing ability was underrated.
ben wallace is of course unparelleled on the defensive end but besides setting screens, he is a liability on the offensive end. he blows layups on the regular, which is just as bad as committing turnovers.
with that being said, i do love ben wallace’s game because i love watching great defense. he will bring even more toughness and defense to the already defensively superior Bulls. i guess the team has a philosophy of strengthening your strength so you can’t be beat in that department. the Bulls are going to keep their opponents scoring in the 70s on the regular. defensive battles! woo!
oh and big Kudos for Natalie doing this write up. stay classy detroit!
Oct.3 at 4:09 pm
Stephen says:
Although Ben is at a decline he’s still a beast to be reckoned with. I like the Bulls team this year but their rating is way too high. Ben couldn’t win a championship last year with one of the best starting 5’s around so people who think that the Bulls are going to be contenders just because of him are kidding themselves. By the Way the link to that site Need 4 Sheed is broken.
Oct.3 at 4:20 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
need4sheed link fixed. My bad.
Oct.3 at 5:04 pm
Will says:
With all due respect, I think Ben Wallace worth $60 million.
well probably not $60 million when it’s an escalating contract, but Ben Wallace’s contract was structured so that he would receive less in the future. Which is revolutionary, I think.
While Bulls have nothing better to do with it’s salary cap room this year, might as well give it to the best defensive player in the league, they also have some room in the future. So when Ben Wallace’s use declines with age, his salary will also decline. This avoids such monstrosity such as Chris Webber, Stephon Marbury, Finley, etc big final year cap eating contract.
Good GM, that John Paxson
Oct.3 at 5:20 pm
albie1kenobi says:
not sure if the front loaded contract is revolutionary, as i’ve done that a lot on NBA 2k6 (which i assume follows some sort of real life model), but a great point by Will. it’s a smart contract indeed, and let Bulls have more flexibilities to sign their young studs who are currently on their rookie contracts. if Krause didn’t trade Brand for Curry and Chandler, they would be legitimate contender. but aren’t right now, and won’t be until they find a consistent 15 points scorer down low, which i don’t see happening.
Oct.3 at 6:31 pm
Le Rob says:
I remeber a couple of years ago when everybody thought that Phoenix overpaid for an over the hill point God in Steve Nash. it worked out pretty good for them. Now i´m not saying Nash and Big Ben are alike in any way what so ever but you just never know how a player is gonna fit in when they join a new team.
I´m intrigued about all this crying about Ben not being a lowpost scorer and what not but look at the guy he replaces (Ty Chandler) he got just about 5ppg in 26mpg. Hardly someone opposing coaches gears his D for is it. Ben will do just fine letting the perimiter guys be more aggresive on D and getting the break going but not enough for the bulls to reach the finals.
Oct.3 at 6:38 pm
budda says:
Ben Big berry goo sad he hoo out the D
Oct.3 at 7:25 pm
DVLb0y613 says:
Big ben is the ultimate team player, but can he put the bulls over the top? Nah, dont think so..It took the Diesel 2 years to pull it off in Miami and we’re talking about the MDE, plus he had Wade as a sidekick, or was it vice-versa..Big ben higher than kidd!? that would make Rodman top ten! Now that is BULL, and I’m not talking about Chicago.
Oct.3 at 7:28 pm
serbia23 says:
i dont like ben wallace all he does is rebound, and block he couldnt score if his life depended on it and the same with his free throws,
Oct.3 at 8:26 pm
Z says:
With that same logic, you could argue that a lot of superstars (ie Nash) are worthless because they’d have trouble keeping up with their own shadow.
Oct.3 at 8:35 pm
Ryan Jones says:
serbia23 sez: “i dont like ben wallace all he does is rebound, and block he couldnt score if his life depended on it and the same with his free throws.” If only someone would ask Ben Wallace himself about his lack of a role in the offense in Detroit, and whether he thinks he’s capable of more…Oh, wait, we did. Check the new issue in about a week.
Oct.3 at 9:36 pm
the_unstoppable_123@hotmail.com says:
niceeeee buhh should be higher
Oct.3 at 9:48 pm
The Henster says:
They are gonna be pretty solid and make some noise come playoof time
Oct.3 at 10:07 pm
Teddy-the-Bear says:
Ben Wallace should be ranked higher on the list the Michael the Rover Redd.
Oct.3 at 10:08 pm
Teddy-the-Bear says:
Gangstaish nick name ^
Oct.4 at 12:31 am
lao says:
yea yea the bulls have no one in the post
the pistons were last in the league last year with points in the paint….and how many wins did they have?? yea check it
bulls on top this year believe it
Oct.4 at 12:32 am
scott says:
Don’t really understand why Chicago signed Big Ben? They already have a great defense can’t see how much better their D can get. Chicago needs somebody to score down low and we all know it is not Ben Wallace. Signing Wallace wont get Chicago past Miami in the playoffs. Huge contract for a player that isn’t getting any younger. How is Ben Wallace more valuable to Chicago then Jason Kidd is to Jersey? Ben Wallace should probably be closer to #40 then #30. No post from Myung it just doesn’t seem right.
Oct.4 at 12:33 am
Brad says:
Ben Wallace should be in at least the top 10. way higher than this. Youll regret this when Chicago sweeps Detroit in the first round of the 07 playoffs.
Oct.4 at 3:13 am
Gilbert0 says:
detroit didnt seem to be that desperate to hang on to him, why would they try to match that kind of offer for an aging undersized, offensively useless centre. good luck to big ben, he worked hard and got his money but he just aint that great. There have been plenty of players who could play d like big ben, but they could also be focal points of offense. Good luck with playing 4 on 5 on offense chicago.
Oct.4 at 5:48 am
Boyd1 says:
Did no one pay attention to what Slam actually said? Big Ben does so much on D that he doen’t even need to touch the ball; what’s all this about low post scoring as well? Don’t tell me there’s anyone out there who still believes the NBA is a post players game? Some fools might point out who won the chip last year, but shaq averaged 13ppg and is as bad if not worse than Big Ben from the line. Look at the aother team in the finals last year, infact the whole final four; Phoenix, Detroit, Miami, Dallas, all based on floor spacing and jump shots. And don’t even say Miami had floor space just cause the Diesel was in the middle, cos very soon the whole league is gonna realise that the only threat Shaq poses is to his own health. Bulls will be as good as Piston’s ‘04, but won’t win nothin cos the L is much Deeper now.
Oct.4 at 5:53 am
Paolo says:
Ben Wallace might be undersized at center. He can’t hit freethrows. His next best offensive move will be his first. he is aging. He is on the decline. He is useless. He is now over-paid. We can go on and on and on and on and talk about why Ben Wallace ain’t worth shit. Before anymore of the bash, let’s not forget how Ben Wallace worked his way up from being undrafted, being a 12th man, being a Grant Hill trade throw-in into being an all-star, a team acnhor, multiple-time Defensive player of the year winner and more importantly, a champion. Some of the supposedly greatest names in the game didn’t even win one. Do you think he isn’t accustomed to doubt? He has won without fanfare, without glitz, without flash. All he had was heart, desire and mad fro. You all can call Ben Wallace a lot of names. Just don’t forget to call him Winner.
Oct.4 at 9:41 am
Poona says:
Most of you guys seem to forget that basketball has 5 guys on each side, and every player has a certain role. Offensive players get all the props, but he’s the only guy within the last few years to really get mention for his defensive play and presence. If he’s a great scorer, then we are talking about too many shooters on one team. As long as they have 4 guys who can hit it, he can board and dish it out.
Give props for what he does, cause he does it well.
Oct.4 at 9:57 am
Gilbert0 says:
paolo quote:”Do you think he isn’t accustomed to doubt? He has won without fanfare, without glitz, without flash. All he had was heart, desire and mad fro. You all can call Ben Wallace a lot of names. Just don’t forget to call him Winner.” is that lifted from espn?
Oct.4 at 11:27 am
mightyman says:
Jason Kidd is far better than Ben Wallace. You guys need to fix this up!
Oct.4 at 12:00 pm
Dj says:
ben wallace higher than ason kidd. the same ben wallace who automatically takes away half of your post scoring oppurtunities. i get all that stuff about him working his way up from nothing, and his rise truly was amazing. I remember back in the day he used to flirt with triple doubles with blocks, rebounds, and points. It was awesome. In his prime he was a top 20 player. The only problem is that he’s now in the tail end of his career. When you say that kidd is over the hill and dimishing, remember that Ben wallace’s game and physical attributes will allow age to be far more….um…unkind to him that to kidd. At least kidd is a 6′5 monster of a PG, who never relied on pure quickness to begin with, and at the PG position guile has traditionally been used better than at the Center position.
The center position is where guys achieve greatness usually later on in their career, they peak later (look at Yao, Hakeem, etc). Then they also abruptly decline quicker than other players, (Look at Ewing, and now shaq) because their skills and game age much quicker. The only exception i can think of was Kareem, who had a much more finesse game to begin with. I cant say the same for ben wallace unless he pulls a newly - developed sky-hook out of his pocket overnight.
Ben has been drastically declining both statwise and impact wise in the last season alone. After averagine beastly numbers from 2001-2002 to 2004-2005 he droppped off radically last year, getting 5 points and barely over 10 boards a game, as well as onyl 22 blocks in 18 games. Do the math.
Oct.4 at 12:05 pm
Dj says:
those are playoff stats, i forgot to add.
in 01-02 he averaged 7-16 with 2.6 blocks per
he averaged 9-16 with 3 blocks per in 02-03
10-14 with 2.4 in 03-04
and 10-11 with 2.4 in 04-05 followed by the 5-10 with 1.2 per last year downward spiral, folks. 60 million down the drain for chi-town.
Oct.4 at 2:24 pm
albie1kenobi says:
great points all around, both for and against Big Ben. I don’t think Big Ben is as washed up as some may think he will be (he IS ridiculously in shape and he hadn’t had any serious injury a la Ewing). He’ll let the wing players be even more stifling on defense because they know Big Ben will have their backs and erase their mistakes. be great at what you are good at, i believe, is the Bulls mentality. they are going to be a lot better, but i don’t think they can win a championship like that. not having any scoring options down low means the wings have to shoulder all the scoring loads, and if you live by the jumpers, you die by the jumpers. not to mention you don’t go from a first round exit to being a champ in one season.
Oct.4 at 4:46 pm
Will says:
Where’s number 31?
Oct.4 at 9:26 pm
Paolo says:
Gilbert0. No it’s not a quote from espn. It’s what I thought about about Ben Wallace. What kind of blogger would I be if I did that?
Oct.5 at 2:14 am
BADD NEWZ says:
His new nickname should be “Bulletproof Wallace” like Ghost old album “Bulletproof Wallets”
Oct.5 at 9:33 pm
Justin H says:
If only he could shoot.
Oct.24 at 4:27 pm
Henrietta Perkins says:
About Ben Wallace, his contract, when did his contract take affect, on the day of the signing or on another day. Please give me the date I have a conversation going and we want to know. Thanks
Oct.26 at 12:25 am
Tommy says:
i agree with you this time slam….ben wallace is the greatest thing to happen to the bulls since mj
Mar.6 at 8:28 pm
michael says:
Ben is a jerk for leaving his family!!!
He should not be on the bulls team he should be on the detroit pistons team all the time!!!
Mar.6 at 8:29 pm
michael dicicco says:
STAY WITH THE TEAM JERK!!!
Mar.6 at 8:34 pm
michael dicicco says:
BULL’S ARE STUPID DETROIT PISTONS
IS BETTER!!! GO BACK TO YOUR FAMILY WERE YOU BELONG!!!
Mar.7 at 8:00 pm
patty says:
ben go back were you belong!!!