Comments on: Looking back: Would the Detroit Pistons have still won a NBA title if they didn’t trade Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre?

By: Darryl Wright

Darryl Wright — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:20:37 +0000

I commented yesterday on a blog regarding the impact Len Bias had on the Washington, DC basketball fan. Having grown up in Southwest Washington, DC I remember vividly watching AD work hard to become the player that rightly should had been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. When at home from Notre Dame, he would regularly work on his moves and shot on the basketball court at Jefferson Jr. High School, where I was a student and basketball player. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember vividly also the CLASSIC High School championship game that pitted AD and Kenny Carr against Larry Wright and a host of talented players, who I had the privilege of learning how to play the game from, Chester Baxter, June Lightly, John Smith, Stan Mayhew, Reggie Newby etc. The competition that included some of the best pros, college players, and high school players from all across the city, in the Jefferson Jr. High School gym over the summer’s were memoriable. AD went on to Notre Dame and had a stellar ALL-AMERICAN career and became the key component on the ’76 Olympic squad. From there I followed his career blossom in the NBA as one of the leagues most consummate professionals, not to mention one of the leagues most prolific scorers. I have disliked Isaiah Thomas since the time he orchestrated the trade that sent AD to the Jazz, costing him what I believe would have d resulted in him being an NBA Champion. I was to young to remember with clarity the Elgin Baylor and Dave Bing careers, but I’m definitely grateful as a basketball fan and Washingtonian to have watched Adrian Dantley, who in my mind outside of Lenny Bias was the Best to have come out of DC. My opinion!!!!! Had AD stayed in the DC area to play collegiately before accomplishing what he did on the professional level, he would have had a street named after him. I’m all for an Adrian Dantley Drive in DC! Definitely and AD fan……..

By: David Jonas

David Jonas — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 12:09:57 +0000

I think the Pistons would have won with Dantley, but can’t argue against the trade as it worked out well for the Pistons. I do feel bad for Dantley as he helped turn the Pistons from a playoff team into a championship contender and then didn’t get to reap the rewards. I do believe that Isiah was behind the trade as although he was “just a player” as he claimed, he was the franchise player and team leader and you can bet that he would have strong influence over any trades that were made involving key players just like any other team leader would.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:10:35 +0000

I don’t understand why you’re focusing on the word “willing” regarding Mark Aguirre’s play in Detroit; are you implying that he didn’t want to give up shots or cede playing time to Dennis Rodman, and only did so out of fear that Isiah and Bill Laimbeer would turn on him? The only reason for that argument I can see is to undercut the facts: a player who didn’t fit in or win titles in Dallas did both in Detroit. Aguirre deserves credit for making the trade work, not blame for sins he never committed, and for doing what he needed to do.

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:11:06 +0000

I think the Pistons still would have won with Dantley, but they were better with Aguirre for the precise reason you mentioned — Rodman had a bigger role.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:29:13 +0000

@Jimmy:

I don't know how much Aguirre was "willing" to defer. I think he really had no choice. He was called a malcontent in Dallas and he was known for playing half-assed. In Detroit, before he'd even played a game, Isiah and Laimbeer took him out to dinner and basically told him flat out that the team wouldn't stand for that here, so he fell in line. I think that Isiah/Laimbeer culture was too much for anyone to stand up to. Like it or not, they set the tone for the team, and as Dantley proved, if you weren't lock-step with what they wanted, you were out.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:15:36 +0000

@Gregory:

Dantley has been a phenomenal player at every level, starting in high school at the legendary DeMatha Catholic.

At the camp I went to where Dantley was one of the speakers, he was the only one of the pro/college coaches who actually stayed all day. The others just kind of gave a quick talk, signed a few autographs and left. AD stayed for about four hours, and he drilled footwork into every player. His techniques in individual drills are unlike anything I've ever seen, and I've shared a bunch of his drills with some of the HS coaches I know over the years.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:08:39 +0000

@Jonas:
I’ll check it out. Thanks for the head’s up!

By: frankie d

frankie d — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:08:05 +0000

dantley got screwed.
the team could have won with him, as it did with aguirre, but isiah started sabotaging the team. he would simply refuse to pass the ball to dantley. dantley would often be wide open, posted low, with great position and thomas would obviously ignore him and rotate the ball to the other side.
it was one of the most amazing periods of watching nba ball that i’ve ever seen. and the sight of that kind of open, childish, on court conflict soured me on isiah forever.
so, yes, it is true that the team was not playing particularly well when the trade was made. but to anyone watching the team play, the reason was obvious: zeke was letting his rivalry with dantley impact on the way he played on the court. and because he was the point guard, and because he had the ball in his hands most times, and because he was such a strong leader, he had a huge impact on how every player on the court performed.
at a certain point, zeke decided that he was going to run dantley out of town and he was ultimately successful. imho, it was not because he wanted aguirre, though aguirre ended up being the beneficiary. he just hated dantley, for a number of reasons, and because he was the biggest dog on the block, he ultimately got his wish, and dantley got exiled, right on the verge of achieving his dream of winning a title.
life aint fair, and it is not the biggest deal in the world, or even nba history. but that entire situation revealed everything you need to know about zeke: the good, the bad and the ugly.

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:47:19 +0000

Bill Simmons discussed this in his Book of Basketball. From the sound of it, Dantley had been bristling with the coach and/or other players. This disrupted the team chemistry. Aguirre wasn’t as good a player as Dantley, but he was more willing to defer to Dennis Rodman and cooperate with the team and coahc. It was that increase in team chemistry and cohesiveness that got the Pistons over the top.

By: detroitpcb

detroitpcb — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:15:10 +0000

like your Mom i loved AD but……the real key is that very last sentence in the quote from Steve Addy. The refs had stopped giving AD his calls and he was not getting to the line. And yes, AD was a much worse version of Tay – all ball movement stopped when he has the ball. But they had lived with that. It was the fact that he was no longer producing at the same level because the refs stopped blowing the whistle for him that got him shipped out of town.