| Not only is Wallace
in the top ten in both rebounding and blocks this season,
proving that at 32 years old, he’s still one of the
most dominant centers in the NBA, he has also brought over
a winning attitude from Detroit and has had no problem transplanting
it with his Chicago teammates.
It’s gotten to the point where the Bulls organization
can’t stop raving about him and can’t wait for
the four-time defensive player of the year to really get comfortable
in Chicago, so they get even more out of him.
"Ben is a unique player because he likes guarding people
solo in the post," Bulls assistant coach Ron Adams told
Sports Illustrated. "And he's very good against a lot
of the standard post-up guys. ... Normally we're a fronting
team. Ben plays behind and he's able to hold his own. Conversely,
as he progresses in his career, we would like him to do more
fronting, do more of the things we teach as a team only because
it makes him more effective against a variety of different
players."
The respect Wallace gets around the NBA from players and
coaches alike have also given the younger Bulls a chance to
thrive as well.
Ben Wallace is the best defensive player
I’ve ever seen in my life"
“For a guy his size, the number of blocked shots he
gets is phenomenal,” said Indiana Pacers Head Coach
Rick Carlisle on the Bulls official website. “Pound
for pound, he’s the best defensive player I’ve
ever seen in my life. You know he’s going be there defensively
and you know he’s going be there on the boards. Some
nights he comes up with a monster effort, and some nights
his numbers are merely average. But as his career has gone
on, his ‘average’ has become more and more dazzling.”
Truth be told, while Wallace has easily been one of the best
defensive players of the modern era, he hasn’t been
an amazing offensive player by any means. Despite that, Adams
feels that he adds a very different dimension to the offense
and is one of the reasons why players like Gordon and Deng
are having All-Star caliber seasons.
"You're going to laugh, but [Ben]'s helped us offensively,"
Adams told Sports Illustrated. "We're a very good cutting
team and a very good draw-and-kick team; his skills fit that.
He's an excellent passer. And he's done a pretty good job
of attacking the basket."
The reason why Wallace has been such a help on offense, as
well as defense with the Bulls is that just the same way Larry
Brown catered to Wallace occasionally on offense throughout
the course of a game, Scott Skiles has managed to do the same,
something that Pistons coach Flip Saunders never did.
"Larry figured out a way to keep Ben happy, and Flip
did not do a good job of catering to him,” an Eastern
conference scout told Yahoo Sports. “Wallace is a proud
guy, and once you lost him, you were never getting him back.
But once Flip had lost him, him leaving became addition by
subtraction. It couldn't go on like it was in Detroit."
Now with a fresh coaching staff and young, energized teammates
showing their support, Big Ben is proving he’s still
one of the best defensive players in league and as a result,
his young teammates are a force to be reckoned with.
© Copyright BBallCentral - By Patrick Hickey Jr.
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