Rumors

Late last week, a rumour (sic) was reported by a Toronto "journalist." The proposed trade, in principal, is an exchange of Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and 2 first round draft choices for Kevin Garnett.

The impetus behind this trade, presumably, is to re-unite KG with his former coach in Minnesota -- Flip Saunders -- who was recently hired by the Pistons. Joe Dumars quickly came out with a loud public denial, stating he had not talked to Minnesota GM Kevin McHale about any trades, let alone one for KG. Joe was so adamant, that for a moment, he reminded me of Larry Brown during the Pistons recent run to Game 7 of the NBA finals.

I know this trade isn't happening (wink wink), but I must put in my 2 cents. Trading Ben would be ripping out the heart and soul of the team. Rasheed + Tayshaun, Rasheed + Rip. Throw in Darko, or any other reserve player. But keep the heart and soul of this team, or you'll be looking at just another talented, but soft NBA franchise. Trade Ben, and you may as well bring back the horse logo, teal uniforms, and yes, G Hill.

There are those that argue that, if given a chance, you have got to make a deal for one of the best (if not the best) players in the NBA. They argue that the Pistons, by allowing other teams to make all the splashy off-season moves, are standing pat, getting stale, and losing their edge.

I agree that they appear to be standing pat. And teams that stand pat, tend to be passed by. I'm all for making a couple of moves to re-establish this team as the envy of the NBA. I just don't want Joe to outsmart himself and be aggressive for the sake of being aggressive. If you recall, what made the Pistons the darlings of the NBA was not really Larry Brown's "play the right way" mantra. It was the fact that they managed to win a championship in a league which is built on having two superstars per champion when they did not have any clear-cut superstar. The blueprint of the team is designed around an all for one and one for all mentality. And guess who forces all the players to buy in and man up? LB? He's gone. It's Joe D and the players he believes in. And guess who that number one guy is? That's right, number 3, Big Ben Wallace.

Trading Ben along with Rasheed to get KG would be an admission that 2003-04 was a fluke. That one can't win with the best starting 5 in basketball, if that starting 5 happens to have no one better than 15th best in the league. Sure, with KG, the Stones could find a lunchpail-type poor man's Ben and plug him in at center. But that wouldn't replace the locker room presence, the will to win, and yes, the heart and soul of this team, franchise, city that Ben represents. I love KG, but not at that price.

It became quite clear during the finals that this team doesn't have enough depth. They don't have versatile bench players, who can hit clutch (3 pt) shots while still being solid defenders. There are some key veterans that will be bought out and will be available without having to give up the core...I'd rather pick up a Jalen Rose or a Michael Finley than change the face/identity of this team. We've got a lot of good years to remain on top. Let Joe D see it through.