AUBURN HILLS, MICH. ? Three years ago, someone with the stature of Larry Brown wouldn’t have listened to an offer from the Pistons.
He wouldn’t even have returned their endless phone calls.
Joe Dumars’ phone number would have been part of the pile of sticky notes collecting dust and coffee mug rings on his desk.
“That tells you, right there, how far we’ve come,” an exhausted Dumars said Monday. “It speaks well of where we are and how we’re thought of in the league right now. And that’s why this is a very, very good day for the Detroit Pistons.”
No, Brown’s hiring was a great day for the Pistons because the fast courtship of the Hall of Fame coach has changed the perception of the Pistons. They’re no longer viewed as a second-rate organization with questionable commitment from ownership.
They have become legitimate, a description last used for this franchise more than 10 years ago.
In 2000, when Dumars was hired as team president of basketball operations, he inherited a garbage operation that couldn’t attract flies.
Now he can attract one of the sharpest basketball minds ever with two quick phone calls in 24 hours.
The Pistons are a serious player again. And that should be foremost on the minds of Detroit fans. Those still pouting that Dumars pushed Rick Carlisle in front of a bus — despite the deposed coach’s self-imposed difficulties — are missing the bigger story.
Remove the blinders and forget how clumsy the Palace revolt appeared. The more important point is that owner Bill Davidson didn’t even hiccup when told that the price tag to land a premier head coach could exceed $5 million and go as high as $7 million annually. The bigger deal is that a coach who likes to tease as much as teach wasn’t interested in playing games when job hunting this time because there was too much respect for the parties involved.
That makes the Pistons a legitimate franchise in the NBA, and no longer can the Pistons make excuses if they don’t succeed.
The excuses were plentiful in 2000. There was a crutch for every setback. Free agents supposedly were more interested in signing with Sun Belt franchises because the quality of life was better. Davidson developed the reputation as an owner more interested in keeping operating costs low to maximize the corporate bottom line rather than putting a truly professional product on the floor.
Getting Brown proves the Pistons aren’t bush league any longer in the eyes of other players, coaches and league executives. If Brown leaves early, a long line of reputable coaches will be waiting in the wings with the strong message that Davidson has sent.
“We’ve got a Hall of Fame coach who’s confident in his abilities,” Dumars said. “He knows he’s a great coach. He knows what he expects of himself and those around him. I know that I don’t have to be concerned with what’s going on with the team.”
This was the right move. It was the only move.
