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Detroit News
Friday, February 20, 2004
Pistons trump Isiah
But Dumars says trade isn't about beating Thomas
By Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
Associated Press
Pistons president Joe Dumars chatted with Knicks president and former teammate Isiah Thomas Tuesday in New York.
AUBURN HILLS — He refuses to look it like this, but the reality is, Pistons President Joe Dumars outmaneuvered his former teammate — Knicks President Isiah Thomas — in a one-on-one duel to acquire Rasheed Wallace on Thursday.
“It’s not about one beating the other,” Dumars said. “It’s about making the best decisions for your team. Isiah has put the Knicks in a great position with the deals he’s made, but in this deal, we just had more assets. We had more to offer.”
The Pistons were able to give Boston and Atlanta first-round draft picks, as well as four players in the final year of their contracts.
“You compete against people all of the time,” Dumars said. “But I am here to make my team better and Zeke is there trying to make his team better. That’s what it’s about. It’s not about, I beat you or you beat me.”
Thomas also downplayed any personal angle between he and Dumars.
“No, I think, you know, I like to see former teammates do well,” he told reporters in New York on Thursday. “Them getting Rasheed is a great thing, not only for him and Detroit, but Larry Brown, who’s a personal friend of mine. I’m happy for those guys. At least now there’s a couple of teams over here that can challenge Indiana and New Jersey, so it makes it interesting.”
Thomas also knows he will live to revisit this fight over the summer. Wallace will be a free agent and has expressed interest in playing in New York.
“I think it’s great,” Thomas said. “You know, as I said a month and a half ago, we couldn’t get players to come play here. And I think it was several months before that, you were writing that nobody wanted to play here, and that this was one of the worst franchises, worst basketball teams and everything else. Now, we got the premier players in the league wanting to play here, and play here for less money. Which is a great thing.”
Wallace’s agent, Bill Strickland, backed off of Wallace playing for less money. He said Wallace would play for less money if the choice was between New York and Atlanta. But with Detroit, who can exceed its salary cap to sign him, Strickland said it was a different story.
Friday, February 20, 2004
Pistons trump Isiah
But Dumars says trade isn't about beating Thomas
By Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
Associated Press
Pistons president Joe Dumars chatted with Knicks president and former teammate Isiah Thomas Tuesday in New York.
AUBURN HILLS — He refuses to look it like this, but the reality is, Pistons President Joe Dumars outmaneuvered his former teammate — Knicks President Isiah Thomas — in a one-on-one duel to acquire Rasheed Wallace on Thursday.
“It’s not about one beating the other,” Dumars said. “It’s about making the best decisions for your team. Isiah has put the Knicks in a great position with the deals he’s made, but in this deal, we just had more assets. We had more to offer.”
The Pistons were able to give Boston and Atlanta first-round draft picks, as well as four players in the final year of their contracts.
“You compete against people all of the time,” Dumars said. “But I am here to make my team better and Zeke is there trying to make his team better. That’s what it’s about. It’s not about, I beat you or you beat me.”
Thomas also downplayed any personal angle between he and Dumars.
“No, I think, you know, I like to see former teammates do well,” he told reporters in New York on Thursday. “Them getting Rasheed is a great thing, not only for him and Detroit, but Larry Brown, who’s a personal friend of mine. I’m happy for those guys. At least now there’s a couple of teams over here that can challenge Indiana and New Jersey, so it makes it interesting.”
Thomas also knows he will live to revisit this fight over the summer. Wallace will be a free agent and has expressed interest in playing in New York.
“I think it’s great,” Thomas said. “You know, as I said a month and a half ago, we couldn’t get players to come play here. And I think it was several months before that, you were writing that nobody wanted to play here, and that this was one of the worst franchises, worst basketball teams and everything else. Now, we got the premier players in the league wanting to play here, and play here for less money. Which is a great thing.”
Wallace’s agent, Bill Strickland, backed off of Wallace playing for less money. He said Wallace would play for less money if the choice was between New York and Atlanta. But with Detroit, who can exceed its salary cap to sign him, Strickland said it was a different story.
