Ben Wallace makes more money and less noise
October 21, 2008 by James Edwards
Filed under Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James
NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Ben Wallace staring down an opponent
Basketball in Cleveland is LeBron James. But did you know that the Cavaliers have the 3rd highest payroll in the NBA?
No, you didn’t. How could you, the team is loaded with no names.
One of those no names would just prefer to stay that way. His name is Ben Wallace and he makes more money in salary than LeBron James by 100 grand. Don’t worry about James, though. He makes mega millions through endorsements.
Big Ben or Clock Tower, as Rasheed Wallace used to call him, is just happy to be on a team that wants him, after suffering through a bad time playing for the Bulls.
After carving out an image of a quiet, yet fierce, defensive force in Detroit, Wallace’s perception and bank account changed when he signed a $60 million free-agent deal with the Bulls in 2006. Within days of showing up at training camp, Wallace was immersed in controversy for challenging the Bulls’ rules banning headbands and loud music in the locker room, among others. The sub-par season that followed only increased the heat.
Last year, as the Bulls got off to a rocky start, his relationship with Coach Scott Skiles went under the microscope. Neither ended up finishing the season with the team.
Cleveland wanted Ben to be the savior to a team that seemed to need a defensive presence on the blocks. You know now that the Bulls were really a team disintegrating right before our eyes. It was plagued by youth, selfishness, and lack of talent. It was a team driven by Scott Skiles until his message just wore out and they could go no farther.
Oh yeah, Ben Wallace is much happier to let LeBron James and Mo Williams get all the attention, so he can just play as hard as he can.
Photo source Newscom
As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.
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