Over and Back: The Rasheed Wallace trade and 2000s Pistons

We look at the 2004 Rasheed Wallace trade that led the Detroit Pistons to a championship and a run of Eastern Conference Finals appearances in the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast.

Kim Huston, co-host of the Basketball Party podcast, joins Jason Mann on the show to discuss what makes Wallace such a great player and character, his honesty and irreverence, his anger and passion, and break down the comparisons between Wallace and the recently traded DeMarcus Cousins.

We also discuss how the 2000s Pistons were built by Joe Dumars, adding Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince by 2003, the playoff failures under Rick Carlisle in 2002 and 2003, some of the other key reserves, whether Lindsay Hunter or Chucky Atkins is the ultimate hipster Pistons uniform, Rasheed’s reputation in seven years as a Portland Trail Blazer and his success and failures there, setting a league record for technical fouls, getting into fights with notorious ref Tim Donaghy, and playing one glorious game for the Atlanta Hawks. 

Listen: Best, worst and wildest NBA trade deadline deals ever

We also talk about how the Pistons changed once Rasheed came to the team, how little they ended up giving up in the trade, how the two Wallaces fits on offense and defense, the “Guaransheed” vs. the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and dethroning the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers (the team who had constantly beaten Rasheed’s Trail Blazers in the 2004 Finals. 

Finally we talk about the rest of the Pistons’ run of Eastern Conference Finals appearances between 2005 and 2008, losing in the 2005 Finals to the Spurs, Rasheed’s gaffe of leaving Robert Horry open for a 3, losing to the Heat, Cavs and Celtics before falling off in 2009, how the Pistons differed from most great teams, and whether the mid-2000s Pistons or the late 2000s Celtics had a better run.

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