By Tim McDarby and Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com
      The fact that Rasheed Wallace was “just another big forward’’ in the West but is now the focal point of a potential shift of power in the East speaks volumes about the way each conference operates.
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      This year, when Wallace played in the West with Portland, he was a big name, but otherwise an afterthought. The West is a conference in which one team, Dallas, has three All-Star caliber big forwards. The West is a conference in which arguably the best big forward in the sport, Chris Webber, can be AWOL all year and not be missed in the All-Star Game. The West is a conference in which arguably the best big forward in the history of the sport, Karl Malone, can be AWOL much of the year and not be missed in the All-Star Game.
      But now that Rasheed has settled with already-good Detroit in the East?
      Who in the East guards 'Sheed? Somebody? Anybody?
      He can roam the perimeter on offense, leaving Ben Wallace and Mehmet Okur to work the blocks and may become a Nellie-like matchup problem for the rest of the contenders.
      What makes this move even better? They didn't have to move Corliss Williamson. GM Joe Dumars and coach Larry Brown are convinced a change of scenery with do for Wallace what it has done for Bonzi Wells in Memphis. The Pistons have gotten a lot better at the deadline.
      In Indiana, home of another contender, there might be a defensive answer to Rashedd. But hand surgery is going to cost the Pacers Ron Artest at least six weeks. Now, he may be our favorite nut, but Artest does all the dirty work for the Pacers. You can argue that he may be their most valuable player. He's responsible for shutting down the other team's scorer, is second on the team in scoring, leads in steals and just does the valuable dirty work. It's a huge loss, but that six-game lead over Detroit never looked so good as it does right now.
      Do the Knicks – who suddenly think of themselves as contenders, too – have Rasheed answers? Lenny Wilkens would have to decide on Kurt Thomas keeping Ben Wallace and others off the glass, or on chasing Rasheed. Maybe Tim Thomas helps them there as a Wallace matchup, but that doesn’t sound too promising.
      As Nellie said to the media on Saturday, “It was a fantastic deal for Detroit. They didn't lose anybody other than guys they wanted to lose. I'd say it makes Detroit the favorite in the East.’’
      So, in summary, a guy who might end up being the key to winning the East is a guy who was barely a blip on the West radar screen. And the West machine keeps on grinding. …