“I think my career turned for the better when I came here,” Wallace told reporters at his press conference. “I had it great here. It was a great place for me, the fans were great, the organization was great, my teammates were great. It was just one of those things I felt it was time to change.” One thing for sure is this will be a different Wallace with a different role.
With young centers Kwame Brown and Chris Wilcox ready to reach their potential, I do not see Wallace playing major minutes.
I’d rather see the younger players given the minutes, because even Dumars has admitted this is a rebuilding year. So if that is the case, let’s see what we are rebuilding with.
The upcoming season should be used to judge all that young talent and see if they have the right stuff to re-elevate the Pistons to the elite level of the NBA.
Wallace, when he left, was one of the most popular athletes in the state, but he returns humbled, knowing the expectations for him are very different. I suspect that his biggest contributions will be in showing the young players how to practice and prepare for games.
Leland Stein III can be reached at lelstein3@aol.com.
