FLIP-On whether he was surprised Ben left: No, I wasn't surprised....I
was a little surprised about how much money he did receive, but in this
business, I call it like Monopoly money. No one knows how much it is or
what it's really worth.

On his relationship with Ben: We had a professional relationship ... and
as a coach, you put demands, and sometimes they accept them and
sometimes they don't, no matter who it is. I think we had a positive
relationship. As most things that happen in this business, it comes to
money. They can always say it's not about the money, but it is. And when
you can make 1.5 or two million more a year, they're going to veer
toward that situation.

On whether Ben was starting to feel like he
didn't fit in: It's been like that with every coach he's been with. Ben
is what he is. He's a defensive player. It was very obvious, especially
against Miami, that if he had the ball and was in any type of position,
they would foul him. And he wasn't making free throws, which can really
hurt your momentum. I don't think it's my offense. I think anyone that's
struggling like that at the time; I think it's anyone's offense for that
type of situation. There are areas where we're going to miss him and
there are areas where we're probably going to be better.

On new center Nazr Mohammed: I'm excited about Nazr. He's a long guy,
good offensive rebounder and a good free-throw shooter. He has the
ability to post up and he kind of fits in with some of the things we
want to do, too.

On how the Pistons played best with Antonio McDyess instead of Ben on
the floor: If you look at how we played, the times we played our best
was our fourth quarters when McDyess was on the floor a lot with
Rasheed. I think this is an opportunity for McDyess to take another step
and get more playing time and stress himself to where he was four or
five, six years ago, where he was an All-Star type player.

CHICAGO -- He said he was misunderstood a lot, that he never wanted to
take 20 shots per game, that he just wanted to be part of the action at
both ends of the floor.
He said it was tough to leave Detroit, where he turned himself into an
icon, won a championship and became the face of a franchise.
He said the last week and a half has been difficult, because he's still
in Detroit, because he watches the news and reads the papers and knows
the city that showered him with love the last six seasons loves him
considerably less today.
But mostly, he said it was strange.
And it was.
How could it not be?
There he was, Ben Wallace, sitting against a Chicago Bulls backdrop in
the posh Stadium Club at the United Center in Chicago, sandwiched
between Bulls general manager John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles,
smiling and charming the Chicago media.
"Ben," asked a reporter, "why do you think your free-throw percentage is
so low?"
"Um, because I miss more than I make."
The room exploded.
It was funny. It was honest.
"I'm real simple," he told the crowd.
He told them his rebounding prowess was nothing more than hard work. He
told them his defense was simply a matter of energy. He told them his
blue-collar ethic should play well in Chicago, as it did in Detroit.
"My personality fits this city perfectly," he said.
That's what the city he just left thought, too.
He is aware of the irony, if you want to call it that.
"I thought I embodied everything Detroit is about," he said.
And of his move to one of the city's natural rivals?
"It's like taking sides with the enemy," he said. "It's a very strange
feeling. You feel like you're leaving home, leaving your teammates. It's
tough."
He said he left for a fresh start, for a chance to complete his game,
for the contract (read: the money), for the chance to build another
championship team.
"It was a combination of things," he said.
It was a combination of things, too, that drove Paxson and Skiles to
bring Wallace to Chicago.
"This is a huge day for us," Paxson said. "It was a no-brainer. Ben is a
game changer. He seems to represent no-nonsense. He's a hard worker."
Skiles, the former Michigan State point guard who has developed a
reputation as a somewhat combative, willful coach, said he was drawn to
Wallace's defense, rebounding, talent and swagger, something Skiles
displayed when he was on the court.
They were asked whether the Bulls were now the team to beat in the
Central Division, where the Pistons also reside.
"This raises expectations," Skiles said.
So what happens now when Wallace returns and takes the Palace court in
red?
"Get your popcorn and sit down and watch," he joked.
The crowd loved that, too.
But after the news conference was over, after he stood with his white,
sparkling No. 3 Bulls jersey as flashbulbs popped, after the Bulls
employees in the room finished their standing ovation, Wallace took a
minute to reflect.
"It's intimidating," he said. "I'm a bit nervous."
The ground underfoot wasn't as certain now, in this strange place, where
all these strange faces surrounded him.
"I look at it as I'm taking on a different opportunity," he said.
And then he added, "I am who I am. Nobody is going to change that."
Contact SHAWN WINDSOR at 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com