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Draymond Green passes Ben Wallace in playoff rebounds
Jorge Sierra: In his final game of the season, Draymond Green passed Ben Wallace in playoff rebounds for No. 21 all-time. He also moved ahead of Walt Frazier for No. 71 in scoring.
Asked if this year’s Pistons resemble past champions — the Bad Boys or the 2004 title team — Mahorn was clear: “I mean… you can’t. You’re talking two champions. Until you get a ‘chip, I can’t compare it.” Still, he acknowledged Cade’s All-Star caliber leadership: “Cade Cunningham — the way he’s playing, helping guys understand how to get involved — that’s one thing you can compare. Now their defense is getting better… but we’re talkin’ Ben Wallace, Rodman, Salley. That’s a different level.”
Dumars served as the chief strategy officer of the Sacramento Kings from 2019-22 and has been the NBA league office's executive vice president of basketball operations since 2022. Dumars ran the Pistons from 2000-14, winning the executive of the year award in 2003 and building the 2004 championship team. He made a series of moves that propelled the Pistons to seven straight seasons of 50 wins or more from 2001-02 to 2007-08 -- signing Chauncey Billups, trading for Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton, and drafting Tayshaun Prince.
Along with that, Thomas feels the organizations needs to get back to defining what type of player is a Detroit Piston. “When you look at the Pistons right now, their identity in terms of who you would say is a Piston, they’ve lost that, and they have to get that back,” Thomas said. “I mean, when you looked at the “Going to Work” team, if Ben Wallace didn’t play for the Detroit Pistons, I don’t know if his style of play would have ever been accepted in another city. If Bill Laimbeer didn’t play for the Detroit Pistons, I don’t know if his style of play would have been accepted in another city or another state. So finding the right guys to fit our identity, we were successful in doing that...they’ve lost their identity and now they’re following and trying to find a home.”
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NBA on ESPN: 4x Defensive Player of the Year 🏆 Rudy Gobert joins Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the third player to do so 😤 pic.twitter.com/obrcxbb4sI
It turns out nobody had shot free throws in an elimination game as poorly as Antetokounmpo in TWO DECADES. It last happened in 2003 when Detroit’s Ben Wallace also went 10-for-23 in Game 6 of the opening round of the playoffs. Wallace and Antetokounmpo, as Elias points out, are only two of three players in the history of the NBA to blow 13 or more free throws in a close-out game. The other was Chamberlain. The Dipper went 8 of 25 from the line in a playoff game in 1966 – or 57 years ago. So, while Budenholzer took the bulk of the blame for the Bucks stunningly premature playoff departure, you can vividly see Antetokounmpo had more than something to do with it as well.
The Detroit Pistons are hoping that Ben Wallace will bring them lottery luck for the second time in three years. The former Pistons big man will represent the organization in Chicago on Tuesday night during the NBA Draft Lottery, the team announced Thursday evening.
Anchoring the third-ranked defense in the NBA, as the Grizzlies allow only 110.6 points per 100 possessions. Memphis ranked 20th in defensive efficiency when Jackson made his season debut in mid-November after recovering from offseason surgery on his broken foot. (The Grizzlies have allowed 106.5 points per 100 possessions with Jackson on the floor.) Averaging 1.0 steals per game. Since the Defensive Player of the Year started being awarded in 1982-83, the only other players to average at least three blocks and one steal for a top-five defense are Ben Wallace, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. That trio combined to win seven Defensive Player of the Year awards.
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Law Murray: Paul George on @PodcastPShow compared Jalen Duren to a "Baby Dwight Howard" ... Tyronn Lue said multiple times in Pistons-Clippers media sessions that Duren reminded him of Ben Wallace
Paul George on @PodcastPShow compared Jalen Duren to a "Baby Dwight Howard" ... Tyronn Lue said multiple times in Pistons-Clippers media sessions that Duren reminded him of Ben Wallace
— Law Murray 🎡 (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 3, 2023
Ben Wallace knows being an NBA coach isn't easy, but the former NBA star tells TMZ Sports that his ex-teammate Darvin Ham is the perfect man for the Lakers' job. "I know he's a great locker room guy," Wallace said at LAX this week ... "I think the guys are going to rally around him. I think his message is going to be on point for that team." "I think it's just a matter of him buying into the system and going out there playing basketball. You can look at the team and tell they're built to win."
We also asked Ben if he had interest in becoming a head coach himself, and while Big Ben didn't rule out the possibility, he told us he's not looking to dedicate his entire life to the job ... 'cause he's enjoying life. "That's a lot of work," Wallace said ... "It's a lot of work. I'm back around the team. Maybe I'll get that buzz once or twice, but for now, I'm enjoying what I'm doing."
Kyle Goon: Darvin Ham invited his former teammate Ben Wallace, 4-time Defensive Player of the Year, to observe practice. Who on the Lakers reminds him most of Ben? "Man, you ever watch Ben Wallace? I wouldn't even try to hold anybody's feet to that fire."
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