The biggest question mark in the team’s head coaching history was the hiring of Stan Van Gundy in 2014. None of them lasted more than two years with the team.

Some, such as John Kuester, Lawrence Frank, Maurice Cheeks, and John Loyer, were just bumps in the road. In the past 10 years, the Pistons have gone through six different head coaches. Head coaching has been lackluster in recent Pistons history. This is when mediocrity and terrible management began to slowly ruin the franchise’s legacy. After the 2008 season, the Pistons declined as an organization. That would also be the only time they would win a championship. However, they would only appear in the Finals once in 2004. Those five would lead the league in defense for many years and embody grit and grind basketball in the mid to late 2000s. Players such as Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace led the way. The “Going to Work” Pistons would reach the Eastern Conference Finals every year from 2003-2008. They would win their first championship in 1989 and follow it up with another in 1990.Īfter the Bad Boys era came to an end in the early 90s, the next era of successful Pistons basketball would not begin until the early 2000s. In that era, the Pistons were considered title contenders. The 1980s Pistons had players such as Isiah Thomas, Vinnie Johnson, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer during the “Bad Boys” era. In 1957, the Fort Wayne Pistons of the NBA would relocate to Detroit, forming the Detroit Pistons. Within a year, the NBL and BAA would merge to form the NBA. After winning multiple NBL championships, the team would move on to the Basketball Association of America in 1948. Founded in 1941 in the National Basketball League, the Pistons would find themselves in a very successful era. NBA “Bad Boys” Takes on a New Meaning in DetroitĪs one of the first teams in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons have a rich history.

Detroit pistons bad boys roster