Ben Wallace took a quick glance at his new uniform and smiled. The new threads fit perfectly and the colours worked, too.
``It's a little different, but I will say I look good in red and white,'' he said.
The Chicago Bulls think so, too.
Wallace is in. Tyson Chandler is out. And the revised Bulls hope to build on last season's playoff appearance, their second straight.
Expectations haven't been this high since the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen era. And the centrepiece of the optimism on the eve of the Bulls' first practice was Wallace, the low-post defender they signed away from Detroit for four years and US$60 million to complement a young nucleus of guards and forwards.
``He's the type of big guy you love to have,'' guard Kirk Hinrich said Monday. ``He's a no-nonsense type guy. He gets down and dirty. He's hard-nosed. I think he fits perfectly with the mentality of this team.''
Wallace was fourth in the NBA last season in rebounding (11.3), ninth in blocks (2.2) and 10th in steals (1.78) _ the only player among the top 10 in all three categories _ while averaging 7.3 points.
There are still questions, though.
He just turned 32, and his tenure in Detroit had a rough ending, with reports that he did not get along with coach Flip Saunders and refused to enter a game. Still, he was a driving force as Detroit made four straight Eastern Conference finals and won the NBA championship two years ago.
He has never averaged in double figures since entering the league in 1996, and has shot just under 42 per cent from the free throw line over his career.
``I've heard the criticisms of him,'' Bulls general manager John Paxson said. ``He's getting older, those types of things. I have a funny feeling that's going to motivate Ben Wallace in a big way for us.''
The positive vibe was a stark contrast to the atmosphere at the Bulls' practice facility one year earlier. A seething Paxson entered the gym that day, announced he had traded centre Eddy Curry to New York and walked away about three minutes later without taking questions or saying who else was involved in the deal.
The Bulls had insisted Curry submit to a DNA test to determine if he's susceptible to a potentially fatal heart condition before re-signing the restricted free agent. Curry, who had missed the final 13 games of the 2004-05 regular season and the playoffs, said it violated his privacy and refused.
So there was a standoff. And, ultimately, a trade. The Bulls sent Curry, who had averaged 16.1 points, and Antonio Davis to New York for Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney, Jermaine Jackson and, most importantly, a bundle of draft picks.
That jarring move left the Bulls in a haze for much of the season, but they won 12 of the final 14 regular-season games to finish 41-41 and reach the playoffs. They threatened eventual champion Miami, before losing in six games.
And a trade that seemed at first like a major blow for the Bulls turned out to be a windfall.
They wound up with the No. 2 selection in this year's draft and the right to flip-flop first-rounders with New York in 2007 if they finish with a better record. In May, the Bulls used the Knicks' pick to select forward LaMarcus Aldridge, whom they immediately packaged to Portland for No. 4 pick Tyrus Thomas and defensive-minded forward Viktor Khryapa.
The six-foot-nine Thomas, who helped LSU reach the Final Four, was considered the best athlete in the draft. The Bulls acquired forward P.J. Brown from New Orleans for Chandler, who did not mesh with coach Scott Skiles, a week before signing Wallace in July.
Although they held opponents to a league-low 42.6 per cent from the field last season, the Bulls had a knack for collecting fouls. Adding Brown and Wallace should help, but they still lack a consistent scoring threat down low.
Paxson shrugged that off, then came to Wallace's defence.
``There are a lot of different ways to play,'' he said. ``I've heard the remarks of teams playing four-on-five with Ben in there. I don't buy it. I think Ben takes offence to that, too, especially when he hears someone he played for say that about him. I'm not worried about the scoring issue. You win a lot of games by defending and rebounding, and we have the potential to be a very good defensive team as long as we don't foul like we did last year.''
