Lawrence Frank, Detroit Pistons and the next NBA season - Part 1
Lawrence Frank has been installed as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. As such, he will now be the man charged by new billionaire owner Tom Gores and President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars for bringing the drastic change
needed to get the franchise back into the higher echelons of the NBA.
Although the last couple of years don’t suggest so, Detroit is a team that really does belong up there. The Pistons have a proud history and 3 NBA World Championships to show for it. Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the
“Bad Boys” Pistons team was a sight to behold.
In an era dominated by the legendary Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers clash for the NBA World Championships, spearheaded by the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rivalry, the Pistons provided a true third option despite not having
as big names on their roster as their contemporaries possessed.
Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer were at the foundation of a splendid team that persevered for years and finally overcame the prowess of the Big Three of Boston in the east as well as the Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nexus
of the Lakers in the west.
In addition that team was the main road block to a Championship thirsty Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls. Detroit spoiled the party for Jordan time and again and when he finally broke through that barrier there was no stopping
“his airness”.
Then in 2004 the Pistons produced an ultimate team effort to clinch a third NBA World Championship despite long odds. The team which consisted of good players and no superstars achieved so much through effort, teamwork and defensive
commitment under the guidance of Larry Brown.
The five starters all went to the All-Star weekend, a real rarity in NBA history, and they defeated the heavily favoured Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. The loss of the Lakers that year broke their team. A super squad
that not only had Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, but also aging Hall of Fame level players in Karl Malone and Gary Payton fell apart after the loss and brought the Lakers dominance of that era to an end.
The Pistons, as is evident from their above mentioned accomplishments, are a part of NBA folklore. The franchise is forever enshrined in the thoughts of basketball fans across generations. Therefore it is of the utmost important
that Lawrence Frank gets the team back to the high level motor city is used to.
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