NEW YORK (AP) Larry Brown simply loves Rasheed Wallace, who again was the subject of a trade rumor Tuesday just a few days after being dealt from Portland to Atlanta.

``I love Rasheed, he's a Carolina guy,'' Brown said. ``You bring his name up to anybody in this league and every coach is going to go 'Wow,' and every teammate he's ever been with is pretty positive about him.''

The New York Post reported that the Pistons were trying to put together a package of players with expiring contracts, along with a No. 1 pick, to acquire Wallace from the Hawks.

Detroit also would like to move move backup point guard Chucky Atkins for a draft pick or an expiring contract in order to clear enough salary cap space to keep Mehmet Okur when he becomes a free agent this summer.

Because Okur was a second-round pick, the Pistons are limited in what they can offer him under collective bargaining rules. If they could find a taker for Atkins, they would be able to offer Okur a contract beginning in the $6-7 million per year range.

Brown would not predict how active Detroit team president Joe Dumars might be before Thursday's 3 p.m. EST deadline.

``Again, I'm a coach. My role is different than it was in Philly,'' said Brown, who coached the 76ers the past six seasons. ``I'm sure he (Dumars) will ask me about any possibility of a trade, and I'm going to give him an honest opinion.''