Ben Wallace needs respect. And more money. Same thing right?

Ben Wallace a Bull. Huh. I imagine Piston fans find Big Ben full of Bull-shit right about now. The old "you don't respect me enough to pay me more than I'm worth" tune has started playing now. It's a beauty. How much is a guy like Wallace worth anyway? A lot to be sure. I mean he rebounds, plays great defense and occasionally throws down a dunk. Rebounds and defense are definitely a valued commodity. 41% at the free-throw line and 7.3 points per game---not so much. But still, you can make the case Wallace was the heart and soul of the Pistons and they would not have had the success they did without him. He's one of those guys that you don't build your team around but with some really good players around him, he can be that final missing piece that puts you over the top. Many teams never find that final piece. And that's annoying because I once spent two hours looking for a piece to my puzzle of the Golden Gate bridge and never found it. I probably shouldn't have thrown the rest of the pieces out a two story window after that and then beat my roommate senseless but that's beside the point. You want that piece.

So is a vital piece of the puzzle, one who doesn't give you any offense, worth 52-60 million (I've heard it could be both) over 4 years? I would say yes if it's your final piece. I think the Pistons showed us that even with Wallace they are still missing something. And I don't think he is the Bulls final cog in their still-being-assembled machine either. They still need a go-to guy that can score. But hey, they have cap space and their maneuvering isn't done so we'll see I guess.
This ought to be a lesson to many players out there. If you suck offensively, just play defense and rebound like a maniac and the cash will flow. The Pistons have proved that twice with Rodman and Wallace. Both ended up in Bull uniforms. Huh.