Big Ben of Old, Not Old Big Ben
November 9th, 2009 | by coryelfrink |The Pistons notched their third victory of the young season on Sunday when the 76ers came to town. The home team held the visitors to just 37 first half points in a Sunday noon tip off and capitalized on a good effort from all nine players who appeared in the game.
The Pistons got some good efforts all the way around, but the one player who excelled on Sunday was 35-year-old Ben Wallace. Known for his superlative defensive heroics earlier this decade, Wallace delivered 16 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks in the 88-81 win. Seven of his rebounds came on the offensive glass. Wallace was instrumental in holding the Sixers starting big men (Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert) to a combined 10 points and 14 rebounds on 4-of-13 shooting.
Wallace was coming off of his worst game of the season, a 110-103 loss in Orlando that saw him limited to only 17 minutes because of foul trouble. On Sunday, Big Ben was only responsible for one foul, and his command of the Pistons defense was the difference in the game.
Signed for the veteran’s minimum in the offseason, Wallace has started all seven games for Detroit. He is averaging 9.2 rebounds, 4.0 points, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 28.4 minutes per game. Offensively, Wallace is mostly invisible as he has attempted just 13 shots all season. On the defensive end, his contributions are unparalleled by his teammates. Props go to John Kuester for recognizing his team’s needs and Wallace’s strengths. During training camp and the preseason, there seemed to be more emphasis on delegating more minutes to the consistently disappointing Kwame Brown and Chris Wilcox.
Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva were able to step their games down the stretch to help pull away, and Will Bynum produced a triple-ocho off of the bench (8 points, 8 assists, and eight rebounds).
The win over Philadelphia is an important one. The Pistons have a tough November schedule, so they have to collect these early wins when the chance presents itself. Perhaps more importantly, the Sixers are one of about six teams whom the Pistons will battle down the stretch for what figures to be two available playoff spots. They already lost to both the Bucks and Raptors, two other teams that figure to be in that mix.
Prince, Hamilton Remain Out
It’s finally been revealed that Tayshaun Prince has a ruptured disc in his back and he will be out indefinitely. Next to knee injuries, back ailments can be the most devastating to a player’s career. Suddenly, it looks pretty good that Joe Dumars drafted three small forwards this summer.
After not appearing in the first two games of the season and playing just six minutes in the third, Jonas Jerebko has started in place of Prince over the last four games. The Pistons are 2-2 in that stretch, and the rookie’s confidence is growing with each game. His stat lines won’t raise many eyebrows, but he clearly has the tools to be a valuable role player even as a rookie. Prince exhibited similar traits as a rook back in 2002.
The Pistons’ first-round selection, Austin Daye, has also drawn more minutes with Prince sidelined. Daye has been far more aggressive than Jerebko, which is fine given that he runs with a second unit that doesn’t currently feature Ben Gordon. Daye is only averaging 11.2 minutes per game, but if you extrapolate his numbers out to 36 minutes per game (average for a top starter), he’s producing 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.3 steals while shooting 47.8 percent.
In other injury news, Richard Hamilton missed his sixth straight game on Sunday. Rip is dealing with a sprained ankle and may be ready to suit up for the Pistons’ next game, at home against Charlotte on Wednesday. With their guard depth, Hamilton’s absence has not been terribly noticeable, except perhaps on the defensive end of the court. The success of Gordon, Rodney Stuckey, and Will Bynum without Hamilton makes it apparent more than ever that Rip could be on the trading block
Recap, Thanks to NBA.com
Team Ranks
Opponents FG% – 41.7 2nd
Turnovers – 13.3. 6th
Points allowed – 91.7. 7th
Field goal percentage – 44.4. 20th
Rebounding differential – (-1.3). 21st
Three-point percentage – 30.0. 24th
Forced turnovers – 13.0. 25th
Points per game – 91.3. Tied with Minnesota for 25th
Free throw percentage – 69.4. 26th
Assists – 14.4. 30th by a big margin!
Tags: Austin Daye, Ben Wallace, Jonas Jerebko, Pistons beat 76ers, Pistons highlights, Pistons team ranks, Richard Hamilton injury, Tayshaun Prince injury
