May
10
BENEDICT WALLACE? PLEASE!
Filed Under Chicago Bulls
MEDIA CRITICISM OF CHICAGO’S WALLACE ABSOLUTELY ABSURD!
Sometimes the media creates stories just to get generate buzz, and the recent allegations by various sports columnists that Ben Wallace is too close with his former Pistons’ teammates and that his play is thus being affected is a prime example. As the Bulls came out flat in Game Two, TNT’s Kevin Harlan began to talk about these allegations how Wallace is not as imposing when playing his ex-teammates. After Game One, Wallace was criticized for hugging a couple of his former teammates and staying on the court with them for too long after the Pistons pulverized the Bulls by 26 points.
Nonetheless, the first two games of this series–huge blowouts in favor of Detroit–have been surprising, meaning this series that everyone had being a competitive one has been disappointing. Thus, it’s time to make stuff up, I guess, like Wallace is not playing well in this series because he’s too buddy-buddy with the Pistons.
Chicago Sun-Times NBA Basketball expert John Jackson wrote in yesterday’s paper that Wallace was soft in Game Two and seemed to be getting on this bandwagon to rip Big Ben after exalting him to the level of sainthood after his performance against the Heat in the first round. With that said, these make-believe allegations about Wallace are absolute junk.
Wallace has been steady in the first two games for Chicago. In fact, he’s the only player on the Bulls acting like he’s been here before (because he basically is) and coming out ready to play. Jackson expressed his disappointment how Detroit jumped out to an 8-0 lead in Game Two and put the blame squarely on Wallace’s shoulders.
Has it been Wallace’s fault this series that Chicago’s perimeter defenders have not been able to stop Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince from getting to the rim whenever they wanted or do whatever else they felt like doing on the offensive end? Nope.
In fact, Chicago’s perimeter defense all year hasn’t been as solid in containing the dribble drive. Bulls’ guards have become too content with the idea that Wallace is back there to block shots and protect the rim, and haven’t done as good of job of containment as in previous years.
Is it Wallace’s fault that absolutely no one on Chicago has been putting a body on Detroit when defending the glass? Not totally. Wallace can’t box out every body when Detroit is sending three or four players to the boards!
And what about P.J. Brown? The Bulls traded Tyson Chandler for the 37-year-old veteran with the hopes that he would be a calming influence in situations like this. In the first two games, Brown has been on the bench with foul trouble and a disinterested look on his face!
Offensively, Wallace is averaging more points per game than Ben Gordon! He has had several emphatic dunks that I haven’t seen since he was proving himself with the Pistons and attacking the goal for offensive rebounds and tip-ins.
The idea that Wallace is not playing as hard as he could because of his friendships with the other Pistons is so stupid. Frankly, I’m shocked that Harlan and Doug Collins even talked about it. It’s just another example of sports columnists needing to shoot words out onto paper and create something out of nothing without putting any thought into what they’re saying.
By no means am I trying to be a Ben Wallace apologist. He is what he is. He’s not worth $12 million per season, but Chicago had to pay that price in order to snatch him away from Detroit. He’s had his moments this year (like the November 25th game in New York when he wore his headband two different times and was consequently benched by Skiles) where he has appeared to be a brooding superstar. With that said, Wallace has been doing what the organization brought him in to do during the playoffs: block shots, grab rebounds and be physical. Chicago wouldn’t have beaten Miami this year with Chandler, Mike Sweetney, Malik Allen or Luke Schenscher having to guard Shaq!
Let’s put an end to this conspiracy theory junk (at least this one). If anything, Wallace is one of the few players in the league who hasn’t had things handed him. He was no draft day bonus baby. He went undrafted out of Virginia Union and worked his way into the league, beginning amazingly as a reserve guard/small forward on the Washington Bullets to becoming a starting center on a World Champion team.
If anything else, Wallace wants to beat the Pistons badly and show the organization that they made a mistake in letting him go. Vice versa, the Pistons’ players are equally interested in beating Wallace and letting him know all summer what they did to the Bulls in the playoffs.
So I could care less if Wallace asked his ex-teammates where they were going to watch the Mayweather-De La Hoya fight after Game One! If they want to hang out afterwards, who cares. And is this really surprising in professional sports where opponents acts nowadays as if they’re best friends with the opponents rather than viewing them as enemies.
My worries are on Game Three and how the hell the Bulls are going to get back into this series!
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