I have decided i do not want the pistons to resign ben wallace if he asks for anymore than either $35 Million over 3 years or $40 Million over 4.

hes a nice player to have.. . but a 32 year old undersized center with no offensive skill with declining stats in ALL catagories could really destroy the franchise two or three years into the contract.

That's a tough call. I think his defensive ability more than makes up for what he lacks offensively. I agree with Chauncey when he said lots of players make their teammates look better on offense, very few can have that effect at the defensive end and Big Ben is one of those few.

if he was 2 years younger, id be all for it.. but he'll be 33 years old by the time next season starts...

and in the last 4 seasons his Rebounds have fallen by over 4 a game (more than 25%),

his blocks are down by more than 1 a game (almost 33%).

His scoring was down more than 23% from 3 seasons ago.

and his free throw percentage (regular season) went from 49% to 41.6%.


He's the best role player in the league... but i just dont think its a good idea to sign him long term/big money.

first role player I've ever seen make the all-NBA team.

do you think they should have kept Darko?

he's been a special player. I am by no means belittling his contribution up to this point....


but im hearing 4 years 60 million or 6 years 100 million.

I dont know if i want to pay a 37 year old small center 15 million
or worse, a 39 year old small center making 18 million.

if im not mistaken chauncey's contract ends after the '08 season so detroit definitely has to make some tough decisions. personally i would resign ben because he has the ability to dominate a game just by rebounding and playing defense.

right now... but for how much longer? His numbers are in obvious decline.

also, his refusal to go into the game a couple months back plays into this mindset i have.

I think that refusal thing was completely blown out of proportion. He doesn't have a history of acting up that way, so I think an isolated incident can be disregarded.

I think the Pistons will have to weigh whether another 2-3yrs of being a favorite for the championship is worth possibly sacrificing some of their future. Personally, I'd like to see them keep this core together as long as possible. It may hurt them in the long run, but I like what they have going right now.

In the end, I trust whatever Dumars decides.

i agree, its generally blown out of proportion- although he still doesnt look like he's having much fun, ever since then...

I just am starting to think that money can be spent, even short term, in better places...But i agree 100%- I trust Joe Dumars.

Shawn Marion?

I'm sure Ben made it earlier, but there are definitely some role players who have made it.

shawn marion scores 20 ppg. thats not a role player. hes an all around scorer.

no. i was a huge darko supporter- and still beleive Joe D made the right pick at the time.... and he may very well still end up to be a very good nba player...


BUT... he was ruined in detroit. he became a punchline, and never would have gotten the chance to thrive, regardless of playing time by the end of his time here.

No, he's a role player. Don't be fooled by his 20ppg--he's still got a limited offensive game that is based entirely on his movement away from the ball. His shot isn't spectacular, he's not a great ball handler, and he's a terrible passer. Most of his points come from hustle plays.

He's one of the best (if not the best) role players in the game, and the things he does are important to the team--he excels in pretty much every statistical category--but he's not the guy you build a team around.

no question he does the hustle things.
but you will never convince me the highest scoring player on the highest scoring team in the league is a "role player"

ben wallace scores less than 10% of his teams points.
shawn marion scores nearly 25% of his teams points.

i dont define "role player" as any guy thats not the "franchise player"

How do you define role player, then? I've always considered it to be someone who has skills that the team needs, but is largely ineffective without the right teammates. Kevin Garnett, for example, has a skill set that pretty much any team could use, whereas Marion would only be effective on some teams, depending on what they're in need of.

technically, a franchise player is filling a "role"- so by the broadest of definitions he is even a role player...

I cant define a role player. im not gonna try and quantify it. i assume most dont consider a 20 ppg guy a "role player"...

but this debate cant be "won" so im not gonna bother.

Marion is a star, obviously anyone who gets 30 pts. and 20 boards in a big playoff game is more than a second tier player. He produces on a very consistent basis and earned two consecutive all star appearances. He has skills that any team could us not just a few. What most consider "role players" are players like Robert Horry, Donyell Marshall or hell a Pat Garrity, a player that has a specialized skill and is there to finish a play when the defense collapses around the players that are good enough to create their own shot. They are the players that hopefully make a team pay for double teaming the top tier players.

Hmmm, who could have played a large role in ruining Darko's early career? *cough* Larry Brown *cough*