NBA Rumors: Ben Wallace's Return to Pistons Would Help Andre Drummond

There are rumblings of a possible Ben Wallace revival in Detroit, and the Pistons couldn't ask for better news as it relates to their first-round draft pick, Andre Drummond.

According to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News, "A source close to the situation tells the Detroit News that 'it's a pretty good chance' Ben Wallace will return to the Pistons for another season."

This report contradicts what Wallace said after the end of the 2011-2012 season, when he alluded to the fact that he was finished playing in the NBA. But as we've seen so many times in the past with athletes in all sports, quitting is never an easy thing.

His inability to walk away from the game he loves would be the best possible outcome for the Pistons, though. They have a young group of big men that need a savvy vet like Wallace to show them what it takes to succeed in the NBA.

Drummond is going to be the cornerstone of their team for a long time if he pans out, and he looks to be a massive version of what Wallace has been for years: a defensive dynamo. The biggest knock on him this summer leading up to the 2012 NBA draft was that he is immature. 

What else would you expect from an 18-year-old kid fresh out of high school? But I digress.

Drummond has all the physical tools to become great.

He just needs to keep up his motivation and drive if he is going to succeed in the NBA, and there isn't a better mentor for him in this regard than Wallace, who is the antithesis of lazy. He'll teach Drummond how to work his butt off every day in practice so he can become an elite player in the league.

Oh, and don't forget, Wallace—the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year—can still play. 

He won't just be there to teach, though that will be his most important role. Wallace isn't washed up quite yet, and his energy and enthusiasm on the court on game days will go a long ways towards making the 2012-2013 Pistons a dangerous team to deal with.

Follow @JesseReed78