On The Wallace Signing and Roids

This post goes out to Detroit native Aaron Lewis--aka the L.B.M.--and Capital of the Midwest resident Chris Rhodes. In the case of the former, I implore you to temper your disappointment. In the case of the latter, I instruct you to restrict your enthusiasm. Either way, random superhighway visitor, the below opinion clashes with all the talking heads at espn, so you're getting a fresh perspective on life.

Now, don't get me wrong, I certainly don't think the Bulls got any worse with the addition of Ben Wallace and Tyrus Thomas. And I expect them to add to their win total this season, even while I expect Boston, Charlotte, New Jersey, and Atlanta to also improve their regular season records. (Did I just write, "I expect Atlanta to improve?" Yes. I did. Still time to erase that.. still time to erase..) I would not make this argument if they didn't have a good coach and strong guard play, but that isn't the case.

However... I'm fairly certain a $60 million dollar contract for an undersized center who can't score (on the floor or at the line) and who looked a little worn down in the playoffs this year was the answer for a young run-and-gun team that barely made the EC playoffs and beat-the-Heat a couple times on the strength of their running and gunning and shooting.

Two big concerns:

1) Can the Bulls really avoid not becoming more of a half court team in the playoffs with the addition of Wallace and Thomas? Why not pick up players that allow you to become a more effective Suns or Mavs type well oiled offensive machine? As was well documented this season, this type of team can win big in the NBA these days.
And can win it all if not for Dwayne Wade and Bennett Salvatore.

2) Pro-sports maxim: You can't give an inflated star-player contract to guys who have made a name and a career for themselves as hardworking, gritty, hustle players. Ben Wallace has to be in the NBAs top 10 or top 5 hustle players of all time. Division II school. Undrafted. Rode the pine. Then made a name for himself in Detroit by anchoring a very talented, well coached, defense oriented, half court basketball team with blood, sweat, tears, and one very famous face-shove... but not by carrying the team on his back, a la Mr. Wade again. $60 million bucks means bright lights and an imperative to succeed on an individual level. If this Bulls team can't find a way to win the big games without asking Wallace to fundamentally change his game or his role, I'm not sure this is going to turn out well. We'll see.

Trying to be constructive here... If I were Jerry Krause... I would have upgraded from Luol Deng to Al Harrington, kept Chandler (who may or may not be on this way out) and tried to find a couple of DeSagana Diop/Erik Dampier type center/forwards who are nothing to write home about, but fit more smoothly into a roster built for speed and scoring.

One last NBA note, while I'm at it. Rod Thorn. What a guy. Has made being a Nets fan for the past 5 seasons enjoyable. One of the top GMs in the league. Great draft with grabbing Marcus Williams and Josh Boone in the late first round. Yes, these players require a little babysitting/development. Williams needs some time on weightwatchers and in the weightroom to ensure he doesn't go Chris Childs on us, and Boone needs to be spending some long summer weeks in the gym with coach Cartwright learning how to score in the paint. But otherwise, job well done.

Lastly.. I'd like to give a big shout out to steroids. Back in the day (the late 80s, early 90s), as part of anti-drug D.A.R.E. primary education indoctrination, most kids would be (such as myself) subjected to a 10 minute film on the roids. It went a little something like this: HS track or football star had it all... the grades, the girl, the Camero, the loving parents, etc., etc., but one day said star is offered the roids. Next thing you know, this person is struggling in the classes, beating the girlfriend, breaking out in acne, attacking random people with baseball bats, wrecking the Camero, and then dying of cardiac arrest at the age of 17. It was all a little over-the-top, and I don't think it stuck with anyone. But then came along Jose Canseco and Rafael Palmeiro and Mr. "I'm not here to talk about the past" and the roids were really put to shame. Well. That's too bad. But I do know this: I have battled and largely lost with Poison Ivy-Oak-Sumac my whole life, and picked up a nasty case of what I think was Poison Oak while in Cali. weekend before last. Nothing was working. Not the cortisone cream, not the benadryl, nothin'. Then I went to the neighborhood doc for a prescription... that stuff put the hammer down on my insufferable rash in about 36 hours. Drugs. Hoo-ray Drugs.

OK, enough said. Happy 230th birthday, my fellow Americans. Big shout out also to the 22nd Amendment. On our 232 birthday, we're getting a new pres. Hang in there.



Big Ben/Mark Warner in 2008