NBA Pistons roll dice on Wallace

The three-way trade with Atlanta included Boston.
DETROIT (AP) -- Joe Dumars has been criticized often for drafting Darko Milicic instead of Carmelo Anthony.
The latest move by the Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations -- acquiring Rasheed Wallace just before the NBA trade deadline Thursday -- may be difficult to disparage.
Detroit acquired the most talented player available from Atlanta for a pair of No. 1 picks and four reserves -- Bob Sura, Zeljko Rebraca, Lindsey Hunter and Chucky Atkins -- in a three-way trade also involving Boston.
The deal also cleared about $10 million in salary-cap space for the Pistons, who want to re-sign Mehmet Okur when he becomes a free agent this summer.
"We felt the ultimate thing would be to make a deal that answers both questions -- adds an impact player and makes some cap room for us for the summer," Dumars said.
Wallace, a free agent this summer, may not be just a rental for the Pistons.
"I told him that I would like there to be a long-term relationship," Dumars said.
Other deals
Four trades were made Thursday, two apiece by the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic.
Detroit sent Rebraca and Sura to the Hawks, and Atkins and Hunter to the Celtics, and received Mike James from Boston.
Atlanta gets Milwaukee's lottery-protected first-round pick, and Boston gets Detroit's No. 1 pick this year. The Hawks also received forward Chris Mills, whose contract expires after the season, from the Celtics.
Wallace played only one game for Atlanta, who acquired him from Portland last week. The two-time All-Star has averaged 16.1 points and 6.7 during his nine-year career.
Dumars not only got the player New York wanted, but he also outdueled his former backcourt mate, Knicks president Isiah Thomas.
"I think it came down to the fact that I had a little more to offer than he did," Dumars said. "This is not a reflection on him or me, or a contest between us."
Close call
Thomas said he did everything he could to get Wallace, short of tearing up the core of his team.
"If it was a talent-for-talent deal, we were in a pretty good position to play in that game," Thomas said.
Thomas also was in negotiations with Golden State for center Erick Dampier, but the teams couldn't agree on a deal.
Another team surprisingly idle was Philadelphia, which turned down Orlando's offer of Gordan Giricek and Juwan Howard for Eric Snow.
Instead, Giricek was dealt from Orlando to Utah for guard DeShawn Stevenson and a future second-round pick. The Magic also dealt Shammond Williams to New Orleans for Sean Rooks.
Utah also acquired Tom Gugliotta, a pair of No. 1 picks and a 2005 second-round pick from Phoenix for Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten.
One consequence of the Suns-Jazz trade is that Utah no longer has the ability to claim center Michael Doleac off waivers. New York traded the 7-foot center to Atlanta last weekend in the deal that brought Tim Thomas and Nazr Mohammed to the Knicks. The Knicks now hope to re-sign him.
Among other trade-minded teams shut out was Toronto, which is in danger of falling out of the playoff race after losing Vince Carter and Jalen Rose to injuries.
"We were trying to get a veteran big guy," general manager Glen Grunwald said. "Those guys are more difficult to get."