The Chicago Bulls, if media reports are to be believed, beat out Detroit in signing Ben Wallace. There offer is estimated at 4 years and $60 million, which is said to be $10 million more than Detroit was willing to offer the aging center.

To afford the price, the Chicago Bulls will trade away Tyson Chandler and his large multi-year contract to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown and their substantially smaller contracts.

Was it a good move?

Most of the sports writers I read said it was. One said that they had to hurry and win now before Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Dwight Howard become permanent fixtures in the East for the next 10 years or more.

They might be right, but I am not buying.

I personally don’t think Ben Wallace and his no offense and worse free throw shooting is worth throwing $60 million at. He is old enough now that he isn’t going to improve on either of those now. And as he slows down with age, his defense, which has always been top notch, is going to begin its decline. With him being undersized at center, the athleticism that he has always relied upon will not be able to make up for his lack of height.

In short, they gave away a center who could help them for the next 10 years in exchange for one who can’t help them any more than the one they already had, and who is moving into the twilight of his basketball career.

They made the playoffs this year. Their players are continuing to improve. They just drafted Tyrus Thomas to play along side of Tyson Chandler.
They would have been much better off having NOT made that move.

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