Let’s go back a year. You know, when the Bulls could talk optimistically about being on the way to a 30-victory season. We call them “The good ‘ol days.”
The Detroit Pistons were on their way to a second consecutive Central Division title. You get hats and T-shirts for that, although it’s more like being the best vice president. They also had a coach who never had won fewer than 50 games in his two seasons–reigning NBA Coach of the Year Rick Carlisle.
They were a tough, hard-working, veteran blue-collar type team that was popular in the community, leading the NBA in home attendance last season.
So, of course, general manager Joe Dumars broke up the team.
Carlisle was let go as were starters Cliff Robinson and Michael Curry and supersub Jon Barry. Granted, Robinson only plays in the regular season and Curry would have trouble scoring in double figures standing on Shaquille O’Neal’s shoulders. But most fans would be willing to sit in a sauna with Oliver Miller to have a team like that.
Winning isn’t enough for Dumars, who quietly has become one of the league’s elite executives.
He has at least two quirky theories: You don’t overpay players (The Pistons have no one on a maximum, long-term contract), and you look for skills that mesh with the personnel you have.
“I’m not trying to bring in a collection of talent, throw it out there and see what sticks to the wall,” Dumars said. “I look for guys who fit, are unselfish, willing to sacrifice and play the right way.”
If you have players like that, you get the well-traveled Larry Brown to coach them.
Sure enough, that’s what the Pistons did. He isn’t the most successful coach in the league but he may be the best pure coach. He is synonymous with winning. Yelling, too, but someone has to wake up Elden Campbell.
Brown’s team are generally the best to watch in the NBA. They play hard, they are smart and–rare these days–they know a back pick from a nose pick.
With these Pistons, Brown has the most talent since he was coaching in the ABA with Denver in 1976 when he had David Thompson, Dan Issel, Bobby Jones, Marvin Webster and Ralph Simpson.
“When you are responsible for the ultimate product on the floor, you are in position to know better than anyone else what the team needs, what kind of personality it needs, what changes it needs,” Dumars said.
“The past two years, I felt the team went as far as it could. It would have been easy to sit back and do nothing. But I knew the team needed changes if we were going to compete at the highest level and I was willing to make those changes even with a 50-win team.”
Now the Pistons team the Bulls see Wednesday night is one, with the acquisition last week of Rasheed Wallace, that can compete for a championship that will bring a trophy and rings.
“Usually, when you get a player of Wallace’s caliber (two-time All-Star), you have to do one of two things: Commit yourself to one of those contracts for eternity or give up some of your young talent,” Dumars said.
“Here was a deal that came along that didn’t require us to do either. It was a deal we didn’t feel we could pass up.”
So the Pistons have Wallace times two, reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben and Rasheed, the latter occasionally more defendant than defensive. But he’s a heck of a talent and in position to be re-signed next year if the Pistons still want him. With scoring guards Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, the Pistons could win another championship.
Perhaps Dumars’ greatest trick was pulling a Wallace out of a Magic Kingdom. It was Dumars’ clever explanation to Grant Hill, who was bolting the team after the 2000 season, that he could make much more money by pushing for a sign and trade than signing with the Magic as a free agent. Hill agreed, informed the Magic, and Orlando was forced to deal Detroit two players. Dumars said he would take Ben Wallace.
“I saw [him as] very good,” Dumars said. “I didn’t know he’d be great. Ben’s the cornerstone of everything that has happened the last three, four years.”
No one’s perfect, and many will ask, “Anyone seen Darko?”
They won’t as long as Brown is coach, but everyone knows his forevers are measured in months.
Sure, the Pistons might look good with Carmelo Anthony, whom the Pistons passed in the draft for Darko Milicic. But in 7-footer Mehmet Okur and 7-footer Milicic, the Pistons can operate on that “When Shaq retires” future title theory the Bulls tried first with Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler.
The difference is the Pistons’ big guys can learn and develop in an atmosphere where the pressure and expectations are on others.
“We have a good team,” Dumars said. “We didn’t need an immediate savior. Carmelo is a great, great young player who’ll score a lot of points in his career. But I thought about the lack of size in the East and I didn’t see us ever getting the chance to get that kind of 7-1 talent. I have no regrets.”
What he actually might have is another championship ring before too long.
