The Pistons finally had a chance to have Big Ben Wallace back in the Palace for the first time since the trade from the Chicago Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Unfortunately for Ben, he was suffering from back spasms and was just returning from two games off. Ben Wallace did not last long.

Meanwhile, the Pistons played their usual balanced game.

Chauncey Billups and reserve Jason Maxiell each scored 13 while Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess had 12 points apiece for the Pistons, who have won three of four. Hamilton had missed three games with a sore hip.
source

LeBron James was booed at the Wisconsin vs. Davidson game at Ford Field in Detroit

So where was LeBron?

LeBron James had a lackluster night with 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting with five assists and five turnovers. James, though, didn’t get much help from his teammates.
source

NFL Basketball Fan Question Does it surprise you when LeBron has an off night?

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Cleveland beat the Memphis Grizzlies.

108 – 89.

And all the new guys played and played well.

LeBron thinks it will work out just fine.

Coach Mike Brown cautions them to take it one game at a time.

Still, even though it was only the Grizzlies, it was a victory and everyone was excited from the beginning.

“It brought some energy to the building,” Brown said. “It was energy from the fans because of the new players.”

Ben Wallace, who started at power forward, scored 12 points, tying his season high, and had 10 rebounds, while Delonte West, the starter at point guard, scored five points with six assists.

The other two players picked up in the deal, forward Joe Smith and guard Wally Szczerbiak, came off the bench late in the first quarter. Smith scored 14 points while Szczerbiak had 10. source

For Big Ben it was especially pleasing to have the crowd at his back like in the old days with the Detroit Pistons.

Wallace, the target of criticism by Bulls fans, enjoyed his new home.

“The crowd was great,” he said. “I didn’t get booed. That’s new for me.”

James was pleased with Wallace’s contributions.

“He showed it tonight, his ability to get up and rebound and his ability to throw down dunks,” James said. “And he made free throws, too.”

It didn’t take long for the newcomers to make an impact. Wallace brought the crowd to its feet with a dunk less than 2 minutes into the game and West hit a 3 midway through the period.

There were even T-shirts.

His arrival even was celebrated at the souvenir stands, where T-shirts proclaiming ”BIG BEN A CAVALIER” were on sale. source

Well, it was only one game and Coach Mike Brown is probably right about taking it one game at a time, but LeBron is happy and that means a lot!

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will Big Ben make the Cavalier difference?

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Now your intrepid author is a huge Piston fan.  Let that be known.  It is not that the rest of the league is not interesting to me, because it is.

no, the issue of being a fan is different than being a writer.  The writer part of me enjoys the whole league.  The fan part is a little more finicky

 A fan loves his team and has little respect for the opposition.  You will often bet with your heart, so to speak, believing that your team will win and the opposing players are bums.

 So if you back up a few years to the last NBA Championship for the Pistons, there was a sense of uneasiness in your intrepid author over the Joe Dumars General Manager act of picking up Rasheed Wallace to play alongside Ben “Clock Tower” Wallace for my beloved Pistons.

 Many of my friends felt ill at ease as well about this deal.

 We repeated to ourselves over and over again, “Trust in Joe D.  Trust in Joe D.” and we hoped for the best.

 Rasheed just has a knack for getting in trouble and easily leads the league in technicals.

 To make a long story short, Rasheed came to the Pistons and along with Big Ben began to shut teams down so much that David Stern had to push for some rules changes after the season to open up the offense.

 At the time, Coach Larry Brown told Sheed that Larry would take care of the technicals and Sheed should just concentrate on playing.  To a degree this worked and in spite of several, well, more than several technicals, Sheed was able to keep his head in the game.

Now that Rasheed Wallace has found out about the Fed Investigation into illegal gambling and racketeering involving referee Tim Donaghy he wants a refund on some of his fines.  In fact, Wallace finds the whole situation laughable.

“The first thing I thought of was how everybody was always saying how I was crazy about some of the things I said,” Wallace said Monday at the Pistons’ annual media day. “Take a look at me, now. Don’t look too crazy now, do I?”

To quote from the Book of ‘Sheed, the NBA should “CTC” — cut the check.

The league should offer Wallace a modest refund for some of the thousands he has contributed to NBA coffers for fines over the years, especially from his notorious run-in with Tim Donaghy. It would be merely a symbolic gesture, an acknowledgment of the new sensitivity regarding corrupt officiating after Donaghy admitted guilt to fixing NBA games to appease gamblers.

 Rasheed Wallace has a history with Tim Donaghy.

In 2003, Wallace and Donaghy had a well-publicized confrontation on a loading dock at Portland’s Rose Garden. Wallace, upset by a technical called during the game, and Donaghy exchanged postgame insults. Wallace received a seven-game suspension for threatening Donaghy and lost about $1.6 million in salary.

When we last saw Rasheed under game conditions, he lobbed invectives at the refs after being ejected in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Many people assumed that would serve as his final image as a Piston.

But he’s back, still full of vinegar, playfully skewering his teammates and maintaining a relaxed mood in the locker room.

Rasheed, when he is laughing, is a problem for all the other NBA teams.

So look out NBA contenders, because Rasheed is going to seek his refund from you!

NBA Basketball Fan Question  Do you think Rasheed got a fair shake?

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