HoopsHype.com Rumors

Over the past few weeks, Wallace has given teammates reason to believe this might not be the end after all. "You'd think that he'd be practicing, like, this is his farewell tour," Pistons guard Will Bynum said. "But he's practicing hard every single day, and he's playing a high level of minutes. He knows he's still doing stuff that a lot of younger players coming into the league can't do." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace 

Forward Tayshaun Prince said: "If he decides to retire at the end of the year, I don't know if he's 100% leaning that way now or not." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace 

"When I do retire, I don't look at it as a big celebration, riding off in the sunset smiling with dancing and music playing in the background," he said. "To me, it's not that. Retirement, to me, is depressing. Depressing. It's one of those things where it's not something you want to do; nobody wants to retire from basketball. You want to play basketball forever. "Retirement is admitting to yourself and everybody else that, 'I can't do this job anymore.' For me, that's not a celebration. It's the end of something great, giving up something I've been doing all my life, something I've been striving for, trying to be the best at. And now you got to say, 'I'm no longer that?' "I don't need a party. When I'm ready to go, just let me go." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace 

Detroit Pistons veteran Ben Wallace’s looming retirement is the only thing that will cease his adventures at the free-throw line. Moments after Wallace played the final 18 minutes of a 99-94 win Thursday over the Washington Wizards – and made five of his six free-throw attempts in the final 2:18 -- he received a message on that very subject from his wife, Chanda. “I got a text from my wife saying she really hates when teams go to that hack-a-Ben, or bump-a-Ben, but she’s very proud of the fact that I can go up there and knock those shots down,” Wallace said. “As a player, you’ve got to accept those challenges and go up there and knock the shots down, help your team out.” Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace 

Make it another milestone for Pistons big man Ben Wallace. Wallace grabbed the 7,000th defensive rebound of his career in Tuesday night's 102-95 victory over the Orlando Magic. He had six rebounds in about 15 minutes and once again was on the floor in the fourth quarter during a pivotal part of the game. Just think, back in December during training camp, Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was taking questions about how he would have to watch the minutes of the 37-year-old who is playing his final season after 16 years in the NBA. Except for one DNP-coach's decision Feb. 3 against the Bucks, Wallace has answered the call every night. "Probably if you asked (Wallace), he would probably say 'I wish he played me more,' " Frank said after the Pistons' short practice Wednesday afternoon. "(Wallace) is a phenomenal competitor (and) still can contribute pretty much in a winning way. He embodies everything a professional should be about. "The guy doesn't take a day off; he works every single day." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace 

It sounded more like never-say-never, or perhaps a bit of wistfulness, than any firm declaration that Wallace is reconsidering his retirement when he joked in a post-game television interview that he would allow a fan poll to determine whether he should return next year for a 17th season. Moments later, asked if there is any possibility of stalling retirement, Wallace said, “Nothing's possible – it's possible – but if it's up to me, I'm going home.” Wallace has said that his decision to retire is based largely on a desire to spend more time with his family. Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace 

A few thoughts before you dive into this multi-page gallery from Muscle Prodigy: 1) Serge Ibaka should have been first. Yeah, yeah, Ben Wallace is beastly, but Ibaka is cut up. Wallace took top honors based on his rep, which stretches back a decade. 2) Greg Oden checking in at No. 19 is laughable. The Big Lead

Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Ben Wallace, Greg Oden, Serge Ibaka 

Ben Wallace (forward/center, Pistons): He told me he was going to hit me, and he did it. That was just one of those things. It happened in the heat of the battle.6 Grantland

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace 

Montieth: [Artest] got hit from behind by Ben Wallace's brother, if I remember right. And he threw that halfhearted punch. Grantland

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Ron Artest, Ben Wallace, Metta World Peace 

David Wallace (Ben Wallace's brother): I just got caught up in the heat of the moment. When you don't have time to think about something, there's not always a thought process involved.15 Grantland

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Ron Artest, Ben Wallace, Metta World Peace 

Bruce Arthur: Someone courtside at the Palace that night once told me Artest provoked Ben Wallace by saying,"Lick my balls, defensive player of the year." Twitter

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Ron Artest, Ben Wallace, Metta World Peace 

Bruce Arthur: I asked Ron about it when he came to town this month; he denied it, then said he didn't remember. Twitter

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Ron Artest, Ben Wallace, Metta World Peace 

If Pistons coach Lawrence Frank had a vote, he wouldn't hesitate voting Ben Wallace into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Frank's endorsement Tuesday came about 90 minutes before Wallace set an NBA record for games played by an undrafted player (1,055). "Oh, yeah," Frank said. "Who knows in terms of the voting? But (from my perspective), without a doubt (Wallace is in). "You look at what he's done — he's a champion, four-time defensive player of the year. I think without a doubt he has credentials to be Hall of Fame-worthy." Detroit News

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace, Lawrence Frank, Hall of Fame 

Ben Wallace insists this is his last season — without a doubt. The Detroit veteran says he is looking forward to spending time with his family. The 37-year-old Wallace decided to come back for 2011- 12, his 16th season in the NBA. He's now tied with Avery Johnson for the most games played by an undrafted player since the NBA-ABA merger, and Wallace can break that mark Tuesday night when the Pistons host the San Antonio Spurs. Times Union

Detroit Pistons, Free Agency, Ben Wallace 

Vincent Goodwill: When I talked to Ben Wallace earlier, he said he thought Chauncey wouldn't end his career this way. He said they would talk tonight. Twitter

Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Ben Wallace 

Ben Wallace apparently is down to the last 59 games of his National Basketball Association career. The 37-year-old Detroit Piston told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix that this season would be his last, according to a Twitter post by Mannix. Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace 

Ben Wallace said at Tuesday's shoot-around before the exhibition finale at Cleveland fans won't catch him on Twitter -- Facebook either. "I don't Twitter," Wallace said at Quicken Loans Arena. "If you want to talk to me, you got to come see me. That's why I don't need Twitter." Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Twitter, Ben Wallace 

Wallace admitted that he seldom e-mails and his preferred method of electronic communication is texting. Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Twitter, Ben Wallace 

Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace was sentenced Tuesday to a year of probation but avoided jail time on drunken driving and gun possession charges that stemmed from a September traffic stop in suburban Detroit. Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Shalina Kumar also sentenced Wallace to 30 hours of community service. Assistant Prosecutor Robert Novey didn't ask for jail time and told Kumar that prosecutors wanted to treat Wallace "as if his name was Ben Smith." Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Law, Ben Wallace 

"It’s tough to see a guy like that go," longtime teammate Ben Wallace said. "(He’s) one of the great Pistons. I won a lot of games with him. I had a lot of fun with him. I got to know him as a person. The guy is more like a brother to me. You hate to see him not be here." Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace