USA - Wallace heading to Chicago

DETROIT (NBA) - Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace - the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year - has revealed he will sign for the Chicago Bulls as a free agent next week.

The 6ft 9in Wallace, known affectionately as Big Ben, helped make Detroit the hardest team to beat during the NBA regular-season last year, but said earlier this week that he was not happy with the team's initial contract offer.

That was a four-year, 49.6million US dollars deal, starting at 11.5million USD for the first year.

Wallace met with the Bulls over the weekend, and has since been offered a massive four-year 60million USD deal, worth 14million USD in the first year. That has been enough to lure him south to Illinois.

Wallace, who cannot sign the contract until July 12 under NBA rules, told the Detroit News of his intentions.

"I appreciate everything Detroit did for me and my family," Wallace said. "They gave me an opportunity to make a name for myself and we had an opportunity to win a championship together. This is always going to be a special place.

"This is just one of those things. When you get a chance to sign a deal of a lifetime, it's tough to let it go."

Wallace, who joined the Pistons in 2000, insisted he would leave the team on good terms.

"Man, to me, this is still, like, unbelievable (to be leaving Detroit)," Wallace said. "I talked to (Pistons president) Joe (Dumars). There are no hard feelings and this was nothing personal. He understands how these things go. This is all just part of the business."

In addition to last season, Wallace also claimed Defensive Player of the Year honours in 2004/05 and 2001/02. In 2002, he was a member of the Team USA squad at the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis.

He won the NBA title with Detroit in 2004.

The loss of the giant center will leave a huge hole in Flip Saunders' team, but the offensively-minded coach will likely use his departure to change Detroit's philosophy next season.

"Ben's had six great years here," Saunders said. "But we're part of an era in the NBA with the salary cap and the luxury tax and the collective bargaining agreement where players move around. You never like to lose a player that's been instrumental to your franchise.

"We've got to see how everything plays out and go from there. Your team has to constantly adapt. Ben brought a lot of things for us. With him gone, we're going to have to adapt in the areas where his strengths were. In other areas, we might be better."

Last season, Wallace averaged only 7.3 points per game, but made his mark on the boards, pulling down 11.3 rebounds per game.

PA Sport