<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">At first, the news of Ben Wallace's departure saddened Pistons power forward Jason Maxiell. After all, Wallace was Maxiell's mentor, motivator and tormentor throughout his rookie season in 2005-06. Maxiell was going to miss him. Shoot, he was even going to miss lugging Wallace's boombox to every game -- which was Maxiell's rookie responsibility last season. His outlook brightened, though, after he talked to Wallace last week. "I talked to him on the phone, and he said, 'The door's open for you now,' " Maxiell said. "He said, 'Go play hard in summer league and come to camp next year ready to go to work.' That's what I plan to do." Maxiell said that, though he and the team hated to see him leave, there were no hard feelings. "Ben had to look out for what was best for him and his family," he said. "He doesn't have that many years left in his career, so he had to take care of his family, no matter what they say about him stealing a check or whatever. You know, it's going to be tough for us, but like he said, it opens a door for me."</div> Source
Hopefully he uses this oppurtunity though, I think he will, he showed some impressive signs at the end of last season, and he is sure to see some decent time this season.
