Bulls, Ben Wallace make signing official

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles were dressed down and casual when they went to Detroit earlier this month with a sales pitch for Ben Wallace.

They wanted to make Wallace feel comfortable and open his eyes before opening up the checkbook.

"We didn't go in there in tuxes or anything. We went in there in jeans," Paxson said. "That's who we are, we tried to show him that's what we are about. You try to sell yourself in the way you are and hopefully it works."

It worked. Wallace was impressed enough during the meeting with what Paxson and Skiles had to say about their young basketball team, the direction it was heading and the role he would play. A big contract didn't hurt their position, either.

"I wasn't going to leave Detroit to go to a team that wasn't going to be a contender," Wallace said Thursday when he signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Bulls.

"Just the fact they came to Detroit and were willing to come to my house and sit down and talk to me says a lot."

The 6-foot-9 Wallace, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, will give the Bulls and their young nucleus an inside presence they lacked while being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs two straight seasons.

Wallace helped the Pistons make four straight conference finals, capture a championship two years ago and win 64 games last season. But he decided to leave after the Bulls made a better offer.

And now he'll be trying to beat the Pistons while playing in the same division.

"It's definitely taking the rivalry to another level. Chicago and Detroit have always been great rivals," Wallace said.