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Cap madness Pistons acquire Wallace, Atkins in deal for Hill
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The Pistons have closed a sign-and-trade deal that sends Grant Hill to Orlando in exchange for Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace, the team announced Thursday. Hill, a five-time All-Star with the Pistons, had already declared he would sign with the Magic, and Wallace and Atkins had said they wanted to come to Detroit. This deal allows Detroit to stay under the salary cap, Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said. "I've been here for a whole week waiting to get this done,"Atkins, a 5-11 point guard, said at a news conference Thursday. "I wanted to make sure that I go to a team that had the style of play that could work for me. The up-and-down style, the fast breaks, that was perfect for me because that's my specialty," he said. "Talking to Joe, that just pretty much sealed the deal, because he's trying to rebuild a championship team." Wallace, a 6-9 forward, didn't attend the news conference and wasn't immediately available for comment. Hill was expected to speak at a news conference in Orlando later Thursday. Pistons coach George Irvine said he's happy with the moves and ready to get to work. "We still have some work to do. Losing Grant Hill that's a big loss," Irvine said. "We're not trying to fill Grant's shoes. ... What we are trying to do is improve at every position." Irvine said one area for improvement over last season is player toughness, mentally and physically. "We're not a big, strong, physical team," Irvine said. "I think both these guys coming in, Ben in particular, you got to just look at him to see that he's a physical player. He's tough, there's no doubt about it. "Chucky's a little different. He's a little guy in size, but he's tough mentally, they both are." Atkins averaged 9.5 points on 42.4 percent shooting with 3.7 assists in 19.8 minutes off the bench for Orlando last year. Undrafted out of South Florida in 1996, he played one season in the Continental Basketball Association and two seasons in Croatia. "My role is to be a point guard," Atkins said. "I want to be a pure point guard, get the ball to people when they need the ball, score when I'm called upon to score." Without Hill, the Pistons have no superstars, but Atkins says that's actually a good thing. He said it gives players who have the talent a chance to express themselves on the court. Atkins said he looks forward to playing with first round draft pick Mateen Cleaves, who played on NCAA champion Michigan State last year. "I think he brings a lot to this team, and I do to, so that's great. We're going to have a young team," Atkins said. "Joe's trying to bring in some other young, active guys, so, you know, we're going to grow up together." The Pistons are still in the market for a small forward following Hill's departure, but neither Irvine or Dumars would comment on who might fill that role. Thursday's deal gives Detroit room to maneuver under the salary cap. Wallace averaged 4.8 points on 50.3 percent shooting with 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 24.2 minutes per game. Undrafted out of Virginia Union in 1996, Wallace played three seasons with Washington before being acquired by the Magic in a trade.
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