Archive → July, 2011
Dennis Rodman talks to SLAM about his DJ career and, oh yeah, the Hall of Fame
Dennis Rodman did a quick interview with SLAM’s Maurice Bobb about his upcoming induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame and, although Rodman certainly expressed his disbelief and gratitude for getting in, it’s clear that basketball is far from the only thing he’s passionate about:
SLAM: You almost seem dismissive about what you’ve accomplished.
DR: I’m actually trying to put basketball behind me. I’ve done it. I love it, but now I’m moving on to other things. I can always look back and say, “Hey, I’ve done it. I was one of the best in the world.” I can’t talk about basketball all my life, because my life has moved on and transitioned into something else. I have my own app with GetintheGame.com on teaching rebounding and defense techniques. I’m a celebrity DJ all over the world with my partner DJ Vic Latino in Ibiza, Madrid, St. Tropez and Tokyo, Japan. It’s all on dennisrodman.com. But I can appreciate this for now, and after that I can lay it to rest. It’s all there for people to see and there’s nothing else to say.
Former Piston Adrian Dantley the fifth best small forward of the last 30 years
So far, we’ve had Pistons represented in each of Dennis Velasco’s lists of the 10 best players at each position over the last 30 years. Point guards and shooting guards have already been unveiled and this week, Velasco’s list of small forwards is up at The Basketball Jones. It includes former Piston Adrian Dantley, who played a key role in the team ascending to title contender status before he was traded for Mark Aguirre:
5. Adrian Dantley, Buffalo Braves (1976-77), Indiana Pacers (1977-78), Los Angeles Lakers (1978-79), Utah Jazz (1979-1986), Detroit Pistons (1986-89), Dallas Mavericks (1989-1990), Milwaukee Bucks (1990-1991)
955 G; 24.3 PPG; 5.7 RPG; 3.0 APG; 0.0 3PTM; 54.0 FG%; 81.8 FT%; 1.0 SPGWhen I think of an old school scoring basketball player, I somehow always think of Dantley. I’ll admit that he was to some degree a ballhog, but when you shot as well as he did, could you blame him? A.D. could work the post, dribble down from the top of the key, give a spin move, sell a shot fake and had a myriad other ways to score. I personally thought he got the shaft when the Detroit Pistons traded him to the Dallas Mavericks for Isaiah Thomas’ best bud, Mark Aguirre, but such is life. Dantley was in the twilight of his career, but still scoring 20 on the regular, and the Pistons went on to win a couple of titles because no one was there to challenge Zeke’s control of the team.
Dantley led the league in scoring for two seasons (1980-81 at 30.7 PPG; 1983-84 at 30.6 PPG). He finished in the top seven in scoring average in six seasons and has the 17th best all-time PPG average. Dantley is 21st overall in total points (23,177), has the 22nd best field-goal percentage of all-time, the seventh most free-throw makes (6,832) and 11th most free-throw attempts (8,351). He was the 1976-77 NBA Rookie of the Year and made six All-Star games, as well as two All-NBA squads. Dantley finished with a 21.5 PER and 119 ORtg.
Maybe Pierce should be in front of Dantley, but check the numbers and watch that video link. They don’t make scorers like that anymore, and because I’m old, I have to give a shout-out to the geriatrics.
Dantley was one of the toughest guys in the league to define positionally. Size-wise, he was a three. But he did much of his damage offensively in the paint, out-muscling much taller and more athletic players. He was simply one of the craftiest players who ever played.
Hypothetical 2011-2012 Detroit Pistons schedule in 82 sentences
If the NBA technically had players right now to play the games, this is how the schedule would look. Here is the full Pistons schedule.
But hey, even with the inevitability that the lockout will likely cause some of these games to never be played, who wants to think about that? So here’s PistonPowered’s annual one-sentence thoughts on each game of the Pistons schedule.
Wednesday, Nov. 2 vs Indiana 7:30pm
What a great opener, considering both teams nearly won 60 games last season. -Dan Feldman
Saturday, Nov. 5 @ New Jersey 12:00pm
Hopefully the new coach won’t lose the locker room in New Jersey … again. -Patrick Hayes
Sunday, Nov. 6 vs New York 7:00pm
Chauncey returns, Pistons fans mope. -D.F.
Wednesday, Nov. 9 @ Golden State 10:30pm
Joe Dumars tells anyone who will listen, ‘See, when you compare him to Mark Jackson, Michael Curry wasn’t that inexperienced when I hired him.’ -P.H.
Saturday, Nov. 12 @ Portland 10:00pm (NBA TV)
If the Pistons still haven’t won by the end of this game, it will be their worst start since the 2010-11 season. -D.F.
Sunday, Nov. 13 @ LA Lakers 9:30pm
In a show of respect toward beloved former coach John Kuester, the Pistons will skip the morning shootaround. -P.H.
Tuesday Nov. 15 vs Phoenix 7:30pm
Steve Nash trade rumors should be heating up by now – D.F.
Friday, Nov. 18 vs Atlanta 8:00pm
Will this be Mike Woodson’s reunion with his former team? -P.H.
Sunday, Nov. 20 vs Indiana 6:00pm
With another game against a 60-win-caliber team already, I hope the Pistons can maintain their confidence. – D.F.
Tuesday Nov. 22 @ Indiana 7:00pm
I don’t like three meetings against the Pacers so early in the season – what if both teams are competing for the division title in April? -P.H.
Wednesday, Nov. 23 vs Portland 7:30pm
Oh, great, the Pistons play Portland twice early, the only time of the year Greg Oden might be healthy. -D.F.
Friday, Nov. 25 vs Washington 8:00pm
Flip Saunders thanks his former team for preventing last year’s Wizards from getting ‘most dysfunctional team in the league’ honors. -P.H.
Sunday, Nov. 27 vs Boston 1:30pm
Tough-guy Kevin Garnett will call Charlie Villanueva “smallpox to your team and our league.”
Tuesday Nov. 29 @ Memphis 8:00pm
The game recap will be filled with comments suggesting the Pistons were totally stupid to not trade Tayshaun Prince for Zach Randolph. -P.H.
Wednesday, Nov. 30 @ New Orleans 8:00pm
If David West leaves in free agency, the Hornets would be awfully thin behind Chris Paul. -D.F.
Friday, Dec. 2 vs Houston 8:00pm
Head coaches Kevin McHale and Bill Laimbeer renew their 1980s rivalry. -P.H.
Sunday, Dec. 4 vs Miami 6:00pm
The 2012 NBA champions make their first appearance at The Palace. -D.F.
Wednesday, Dec. 7 @ Milwaukee 8:00pm
Joe Dumars and John Hammond try to decide which twosomes were bigger career killers: Charlie Villanueva/Ben Gordon or Drew Gooden/John Salmons. -P.H.
Friday, Dec. 9 vs Minnesota 8:00pm
As long as your expectations are reasonable, Ricky Rubio will be a success. -D.F.
Saturday, Dec. 10 vs Chicago 7:30pm
Brandon Knight should be just as good as Derrick Rose by this game, right? -P.H.
Monday, Dec. 12 @ Oklahoma City 8:00pm
Someone will compare Austin Daye to a young Kevin Durant – even though Daye is older. -D.F.
Wednesday, Dec. 14 @ San Antonio 8:30pm
If Antonio McDyess sticks with his planned retirement, you can go back to hating the Spurs now. -P.H.
Friday, Dec. 16 vs LA Clippers 8:00pm
If Tayshaun Prince and Chris Kaman aren’t playing in this game, for the Clippers and Pistons respectively, something might have gone wrong. -D.F.
Sunday, Dec. 18 vs Orlando 7:00pm (NBA TV)
The two most perimeter-heavy teams in the league battle. -P.H.
Tuesday Dec. 20 vs Utah 7:30pm
I’m sure Brandon Knight will want revenge against the team everybody thought would draft him, but I’m not so sure he’ll be ready to make the Jazz pay. -D.F.
Wednesday, Dec. 21 @ Toronto 7:00pm
If only the Pistons had an athletic, shot-blocking, young forward like Amir Johnson to pair with Greg Monroe. -P.H.
Friday, Dec. 23 @ Orlando 7:00pm
Remember when the Pistons were the only team that could keep Dwight Howard in check? -D.F.
Monday, Dec. 26 @ Indiana 7:00pm
The league scheduling four games vs. Indiana before 2012 has caused PistonPowered writers to run out of Indiana jokes. -P.H.
Wednesday, Dec. 28 vs Cleveland 7:30pm
Before the game, I will write a post re-evaluating the Dan Gilbert-Tom Gores comparison – in Comic Sans. -D.F.
Friday, Dec. 30 @ Boston 7:30pm
Enforcer Kevin Garnett will start a new feud, picking one of the biggest, baddest Pistons: Austin Daye. -P.H.
Wednesday, Jan. 4 @ Miami 7:30pm
With four days off to prepare for the Heat, maybe the Pistons can come within 15. -D.F.
Friday, Jan. 6 @ Philadelphia 7:00pm
Doug Collins will spend the game starting back and forth between Evan Turner in warmups on his bench and Greg Monroe getting a double-double on the court. -P.H.
Saturday, Jan. 7 vs Boston 7:30pm
JaJuan Johnson is my pick for the sleep of the draft, and by now, we should have an idea whether I’m right. -D.F.
Tuesday Jan. 10 @ Charlotte 7:00pm
By this point in the season, Brandon Knight will have clearly proven he was a better pick than Kemba Walker. -P.H.
Friday, Jan. 13 vs Atlanta 8:00pm
I heard the Hawks want to dump Josh Smith, so how about Jason Maxiell and Vernon Macklin for him? -D.F.
Sunday, Jan. 15 vs Golden State 6:00pm
Pistons fans will say that Ben Gordon, if used right, is just as good as Monta Ellis. -P.H.
Wednesday, Jan. 18 @ Minnesota 8:00pm
Please hire Don Nelson, please hire Don Nelson, please hire Don Nelson. -D.F.
Friday, Jan. 20 vs New Jersey 8:00pm
Brook Lopez will average 23 rebounds per game against the Pistons, four rebounds per game against the rest of the league. -P.H.
Saturday, Jan. 21 vs Philadelphia 7:30pm
If the Pistons had hired Doug Collins instead of John Kuester, Collins would be burned out and resigned by now. -D.F.
Monday, Jan. 23 @ Dallas 8:30pm
Last season’s win over Dallas proves the Pistons are close to title contention. -P.H.
Wednesday, Jan. 25 @ Houston 8:00pm
Confused by playing Markieff Morris and the Suns earlier in the season, the veteran-savvy Pistons will use the wrong gameplan against Marcus Morris. -D.F.
Friday, Jan. 27 vs Oklahoma City 8:00pm
Rodney Stuckey will continue to build his reputation as the Russell Westbrook stopper. -P.H.
Saturday, Jan. 28 @ Philadelphia 7:00pm
Ah, Philadelphia, the site of so many fond Pistons memories. -D.F.
Monday, Jan. 30 @ Milwaukee 8:00pm
John Hammond will finally relent and agree with Joe Dumars that Gordon/Villanueva are the bigger career killers. -P.H.
Tuesday Jan. 31 @ New York 7:30pm
If former Knicks president Dave Checketts is still working for the Pistons at this point, I’ll be fairly worried about the organization. -D.F.
Friday, Feb. 3 vs Milwaukee 8:00pm
Carlos Delfino will score 12 points off the bench, followed by every Piston fan contemplating a Delfino/Arron Afflalo shooting-guard rotation. -P.H.
Saturday, Feb. 4 vs New Orleans 7:30pm
If the NBA follows the 1999 lockout’s calendar (oh, please no), the regular season would start tomorrow. -D.F.
Monday, Feb. 6 @ New Jersey 7:30pm
As the trade deadline approaches, the Nets will try to entice the Magic into giving up Dwight Howard by packaging Travis Outlaw and Brook Lopez. -P.H.
Wednesday, Feb. 8 vs Dallas 7:30pm
If you haven’t read Jakob Eich’s fantastic piece about Dirk Nowitzki and Germany, you should right now. -D.F.
Friday, Feb. 10 vs Denver 8:00pm
At what point does the annual Arron Afflalo homecoming become more depressing to fans than the Chauncey Billups homecoming? -P.H.
Sunday, Feb. 12 vs San Antonio 6:00pm
Three straight games against good teams without a back-to-back should, in the slight chance it’s necessary, give the Pistons a legitimate chance to show they’re the real deal. –D.F.
Tuesday Feb. 14 vs New Jersey 7:30pm
Zero people will fantasize about what could’ve been had the Pistons successfully acquired Johan Petro last season. -P.H.
Wednesday, Feb. 15 @ Boston 7:30pm
You know NBA teams always play hard on middle-of-the-week back-to-backs on the road. -D.F.
Friday, Feb. 17 vs Sacramento 8:00pm
Jimmer Fredette + DeMarcus Cousins + Tyreke Evans has serious Mad Real World potential. -P.H.
Sunday, Feb. 19 vs Toronto 6:00pm
I’m sure Brandon Knight will want revenge against the team everybody thought would draft him if he was available, and maybe by now, he’ll be ready to make the Raptors pay. -D.F.
Tuesday Feb. 21 @ Cleveland 7:00pm
“Cavs win and get one step closer to that title,” /stuff Dan Gilbert says. -P.H.
Wednesday, Feb. 22 @ Washington 7:00pm
Chances I attend this game: 80 percent. -D.F.
Tuesday Feb. 28 vs Philadelphia 7:30pm
Will Austin Daye show enough improvement this season to make the fact that the Pistons passed on Jrue Holiday (among others) to draft him irrelevant? -P.H.
Wednesday, Feb. 29 @ Atlanta 7:30pm
OK, fine, how about how about Jason Maxiell, Vernon Macklin and a protected second-round pick for Josh Smith? -D.F.
Saturday, March 3 @ Chicago 8:00pm
Will Rip Hamilton be playing for the Bulls by now? -P.H.
Sunday, March 4 vs Memphis 7:00pm
Remember when Zach Randolph wanted to play for the Pistons, before he realized they couldn’t/wouldn’t offer $71 million? -D.F.
Tuesday March 6 vs Toronto 7:30pm
The Pistons showed only moderate interest in Dwayne Casey, my pick to be the best coaching hire of the offseason. -P.H.
Friday, March 9 vs LA Lakers 8:00pm
I really hope Darius Morris has worked his way into the Lakers’ rotation by now. -D.F.
Saturday, March 10 vs Charlotte 7:30pm
Michael Jordan was caught on video dunking at age 48 this week, making his NBA comeback attempt inevitable, right? -P.H.
Monday, March 12 @ Utah 9:00pm
If Brandon Knight isn’t capable of putting a dent in the Jazz by now, even if he doesn’t necessarily wow in this particular game, I’ll be fairly worried. -D.F.
Wednesday, March 14 @ Sacramento 10:00pm
Sacramento is my pick in this year’s Detroit Pistons most-likely-to-boycott-a-shootaround pool. -P.H.
Friday, March 16 @ Phoenix 10:00pm
Six-to-one odds: Alvin Gentry will be fired by now. -D.F.
Sunday, March 18 @ LA Clippers 3:30pm
Will Tayshaun Prince be a Clipper when the Pistons play in L.A.? -P.H.
Wednesday, March 21 @ Denver 9:00pm
When the Nuggets struggle (relative to recent years) this season, how will Dave Berri criticize Carmelo Anthony?
Friday, March 23 vs Cleveland 8:00pm
How long before Kyrie Irving pulls a Jason Kidd and realizes he’s smarter than Byron Scott? -P.H.
Saturday, March 24 @ New York 7:30pm
Amar’e Stoudemire will come off the bench to ensure he doesn’t play until Shabbat officially ends. -D.F.
Monday, March 26 @ Washington 7:00pm
John Calipari will send a tape of the Brandon Knight-John Wall matchup to every Kentucky recruit. -P.H.
Wednesday, March 28 @ Cleveland 7:00pm
If Brandon Knight-Kyre Irving is an intriguing matchup by now, that will be a success. -D.F.
Friday, March 30 @ Chicago 8:00pm
Will Kyle Singler be as good as Brian Scalabrine? -P.H.
Saturday, March 31 vs Charlotte 7:30pm
Will Detroit’s Bismack Biyombo fever have died down by now? -D.F.
Tuesday April 3 vs Orlando 7:30pm
Richard Hamilton and Gilbert Arenas will compete this season for the guy-stuck-on-the-roster-of-a-team-that-awkwardly-doesn’t-want-him award. -P.H.
Friday, April 6 vs Washington 8:00pm
Over-under of 0.5: number of John Wall, JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche and Nick Young who’ve figured out how to produce efficiently in the NBA by this point.
Sunday, April 8 @ Miami 6:00pm
If Prince is not on the Pistons, is anyone else terrified at what happens if the Pistons try to defend LeBron James with an Austin Daye/Kyle Singler combo? -P.H.
Monday, April 9 @ Orlando 7:00pm
By this point, the Magic’s future could look worse than the Pistons’. -D.F.
Friday, April 13 vs Milwaukee 8:00pm (ESPN)
The Pistons get one ESPN game this season, and here it is against Milwaukee (and I’d be willing to bet, without even looking, that the Bucks get only one ESPN game this season, top). -P.H.
Sunday, April 15 vs Chicago 6:00pm
Winner gets the Central Division title (because the Bulls will win and already have the division secure). -D.F.
Wednesday, April 18 @ Charlotte 8:00pm
By now, doctors will have determined Bismack Biyombo is actually 38-years-old … so the Pistons really dodged a bullet. -P.H.
Pistons are the second-luckiest franchise in NBA history
For those of you unfamiliar with Pythagorean wins, here’s a brief explanation. Essentially, Pythagorean wins estimate how many games a team should win, based on points scored and points allowed.
So, subtracting a team’s Pythagorean wins from its actual wins should reveal how many wins a team lucked into.* I wrote about that idea for Basketball Prospectus yesterday, and I measured how lucky each NBA franchise has been.
*If a team is very clutch or gives up in blowouts, that can skew the number. But no reliable research has shown some teams tend to do that more than others. Besides, this is just for fun, anyway.
All-time, the Pistons have won 32 more games they should have. That’s pretty lucky.
Only the Lakers (plus 55) have been luckier. Per season, only the Hornets, Lakers, Mavericks and Nuggets have been luckier.
Here’s how lucky each individual Pistons season has been:
Charlie Villanueva “leaning toward” playing in the Dominican Republic
Via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype:
“I’m actually leaning towards likely playing in Dominican Republic, my home country,” Villanueva texted when asked about overseas options. “If I play there in Dominican Republic, it won’t be for the pay, but it will be for my people. They are passionate about the game of basketball.
“One hundred percent, basketball is my passion. If the lockout continues, it won’t stop me from doing what I love to do. Overseas is a possibility for sure.”
Sometimes – OK, often – Charlie Villanueva can be frustrating to watch on the court. But off it, much more often than not, he’s very likable.
Just yesterday, I was bemoaning the fact that Tracy McGrady didn’t show a strong to desire to play for the Pistons. (Again, well within McGrady’s rights, and I hope he plays wherever makes him happiest.) So, it’s nice to see Villanueva care so deeply about the Dominican Republic. Even though I have no connection to the Caribbean nation, I respect his passion.
Also, without knowing Sierra’s question, I’m not sure how seriously to take Villanueva’s plans. Did Sierra ask, “Do you plan to play overseas?” Or did he ask, “If you play overseas, where would you play?” Villanueva’s first sentence makes sense either way, but the context is much different depending on the question.
Update
I emailed Sierra, and he confirmed his question was about whether Villanueva planned to play overseas, not where Villanueva would play if he plays overseas. So, Villanueva is “leaning towards likely playing in Dominican Republic” – no ifs.
Minnesota will reportedly interview Mike Woodson Tuesday
Perry Farrell of the Detroit Free Press:
Mike Woodson, who is a candidate for the Pistons’ head coaching job, is expected to interview Tuesday for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coaching position.
Woodson was at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport tonight, according to a source. The Timberwolves fired coach Kurt Rambis last week.
Woodson is awaiting word from the Pistons if he or Lawrence Frank will be hired to replace John Kuester.
Farrell has been all over the Woodson beat, even tracking him down at Detroit Metro Airport after he interviewed with the Pistons, so it’s a good bet that he’s in the know when it comes to Woodson. This will be the third head coaching job Woodson will be known to have interviewed for — he was a candidate in Houston before they hired Kevin McHale and he’s interviewed at least twice in Detroit. Lawrence Frank, seemingly the other finalist, interviewed in Toronto before Dwayne Casey was hired and he’s also rumored to be a target of the Knicks for an assistant coaching gig.
TrueHoop Network writers weigh in on who should be the next Pistons’ coach
Today’s ESPN 5-on-5 roundtable looks at the NBA coaching carousel, including the five writers discussing who the Pistons should hire:
Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: Over the past few seasons, Kelvin Sampson (currently a Rockets assistant) has gained a reputation as a potential just-add-water NBA head-coaching candidate. He’s regarded as a strong communicator and adored by players. Though a black cloud hangs over his NCAA legacy, Sampson is a basketball lifer who can orchestrate a team.
Rahat Huq, Red94: Lawrence Frank might be the smart choice, but why not Bill Laimbeer? The legend would bring karma and good feelings to a franchise so down on hard times that Tracy McGrady was reeled in off the scrap heap as a potential savior. Can Charlie V learn to throw an elbow? A potential sticking point.
Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell: Luckily for the Pistons, they could make a number of different choices and still have made a good one. Bill Laimbeer and Patrick Ewing both have what it takes to succeed as NBA coaches, but personally, I’d love to see Mike Woodson get another shot. Woodson strikes me as the kind of underappreciated talent Joe Dumars favors.
John Converse Townsend, Truth About It: Lawrence Frank is a top candidate for the Pistons job and deserves another shot as a head coach. Frank is an effective motivator who spent last season as Doc Rivers’ lead assistant in Boston and I’m curious to see what he could achieve with Detroit’s young and talented roster.
Jared Wade, 8 Points, 9 Seconds: Lawrence Frank. By all accounts, Frank has a great mind for the game and he started his coaching career as the league’s golden boy. People forget, but when he was 35, he was essentially doing what Scott Brooks is doing today. He deserves another job, and Detroit needs some order and dignity back on its bench.
So we have three votes for Frank and one each for Woodson, Laimbeer and Sampson. It’s good to see that opinions on what the Pistons should do are not just mixed among local observers.
Tracy McGrady tweets picture of himself in Lakers jersey
Tracy McGrady tweeted (hat tip: Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie):
Yes or No http://twitpic.com/5qorsu
I understand McGrady probably won’t play for Detroit next season, and I don’t have a problem with him have a little fun during the offseason. I wasn’t mad he hinted during the season about a desire to play for the Bulls, so this certainly doesn’t upset me.
But as a Pistons fan, if McGrady somehow returns to Detroit next year, it’d be a tad disappointing to believe he preferred to play elsewhere. Is that naïve? Of course – but in an ideal world, I’d want the Pistons to have players who want to play for them.
Anyway, I wouldn’t take this tweet too seriously. And I don’t know where McGrady will play next season, but I think he already tweeted a picture of himself playing for his No. 1 team.
New York Knicks interested in Lawrence Frank as defensive coordinator
The Detroit Pistons already saw oen head coaching candidate they interviewed take an assistant job when Kelvin Sampson joined Kevin McHale’s staff in Houston. Now, the New York Knicks are reportedly interested in Lawrence Frank to handle coaching the defense for Mike D’Antoni. From Newday’s Alan Hahn:
All eyes will be on what happens with the Pistons head coaching position, as the finalists appear to be Mike Woodson and Lawrence Frank.
From what we’ve been hearing, D’Antoni personally likes Frank and there is a strong mutual interest there for many reasons.
First of all, whomever the Knicks hire would have to accept a one-year deal because D’Antoni is going into the final year of his contract and there is some uncertainty about his future. Frank, unlike most, would likely be amenable to accepting a one-year contract because it gives him the freedom to continue to look for head coaching jobs.
Frank might also prefer New York over returning to Boston for proximity reasons, as well, because he could be home full-time in New Jersey, where his wife and two daughters remained last season when he worked for the Celtics.
Although Hahn’s report suggests the Knicks will wait and see if Frank gets the Pistons job first, there might be some incentive for him to go to New York. As Hahn points out, it’s closer to his New Jersey home, but there are also questions as to how long D’Antoni will keep the New York head coaching job. An assistant like Frank who has head coaching experience would possibly be in line to take over if D’Antoni and the team part.
Could former Piston Zeljko Rebraca be a Hall of Famer some day?
Based on his NBA career, Zeljko Rebraca certainly isn’t a Hall of Fame player. But remember, the Naismith Hall of Fame is a basketball Hall of Fame, not just a NBA Hall of Fame, and Rebraca had a pretty decorated European career before he debuted with the Pistons. Jay Aych of The Painted Area recently wrote about international players who could merit Hall of Fame consideration down the road and he mentioned Rebraca, albeit as a longshot:
Rebraca’s NBA career never got off the ground because of constant health issues (only 215 games in 5 seasons), but the big man was successful before he came stateside. During his club career Zelly netted two Euroleague titles (2000 EL Final 4 MVP), two Greek League titles (2000 Greek League MVP) and one Italian League title. Playing for Yugoslavia, he took home one Olympic silver, two Euro gold and one Worlds gold in 1998 where he was key to their title.
Rebraca’s biggest contribution to the Pistons was his use in the Rasheed Wallace trade. But he had also had a solid rookie season for the team, averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds off the bench and providing interior toughness on a team that was a surprise 50-game winner in Rick Carlisle’s first season. A heart condition robbed Rebraca of much of his second season, but he was tough and feisty, definitely a Detroit kind of player.
