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I LOVE Pistons’ basketball, have ever since I was young.  I’d consider myself as die-hard.  Being a die-hard I can say I legitimately hate certain rival opponents, and I get a sense of great satisfaction when the Pistons beat these teams on the court.  But, I, like the majority of fans, know the difference between entertainment and real life.  Unfortunately there’s those out there who cannot distinguish between the two.

Files have recently been released under the Freedom of Information Act describing the seriousness the FBI took in investigating threatening letters written to former Bad Boys coach Chuck Daly at the height of the Pistons’ championship runs.

One guy from Cleveland wrote the following to Coach Daly:

“God made me realize that YOU, not Laimbeer, Mahorn or any of the others are the one possessed by (Satan).

Now to me that doesn’t even strike me as the impassioned words of a hardcore Cavs’ fan.  Those are the ravings of a sick person who needs help.  He’s chosen Daly as a target because he probably follows the Cavs and the Pistons thwarted their glory back then.  But, it could just as easily been something else not of personal consequence he’s taken and internalized.

Thankfully most of these people never end up acting on their threats but a few have like in cases like tennis star Monica Seles who was stabbed by a “fan”.  It’s reassuring to read the lengths the authorities go to investigate these types of communications.

Wow.  What a dramatic clip from the vault.  Dennis Rodman sitting in the stands of a 1992 preseason game that was played in Ann Arbor in protest of the team’s new direction after the departure of Chuck Daly.

When  Chuck – who was like a father figure to Rod – left, that was the beginning of the end of Dennis in red, white, & Pistons’ Blue.  Rodman’s personal life was already in turmoil and that resignation was the proverbial last straw.

How about Zeke tossing the ball to Worm telling him to get in the game!?  This was a pretty ominous time in Pistons history, but what a fantastic vid.

Something very news was posted on NBA.com yesterday afternoon.  Pat Williams, the Orlando Magic senior vp, who had a long time relationship with Chuck Daly has written a book about Daddy Rich.

“This incredible work of life, this incredible valley of information,” Williams said. “What a unique man.”

Williams said he did close to 100 interviews, from family members and friends from Daly’s youth to the more-familiar names from his time in college and pro basketball, the players, former colleagues, team executives and media members who crossed paths during 78 years of life. Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn. Hubie Brown, Billy Cunningham and Rick Carlisle. Rollie Massimino, Bucky Waters and Vic Bubas. Dick Harter, Jack McCloskey and Ron Rothstein. Brendan Suhr and Brendan Malone.

“Daly Memories”, which is scheduled for release on November 15th, sounds like a book that’s as much about life as it is about basketball.  I can’t wait to get my copy.

Have you ever read Chuck Daly’s book “Daly Life”?  It was published in 1990 and is basically Chuck’s memoirs of what it took to manage the complex personalities of the Bad Boys into a championship basketball team.  It’s an entertaining book to say the least.

Never read it huh?  Well it just so happens I have two copies of the book (I’m not sure why though, and neither copy has the dust jacket).  How about a TWITTER CONTEST??

• Step Uno: You have to be following PN on Twitter
• Step B: Tweet the following: #RememberDaddyRich @PistonsNation

The contest will conclude at midnight (EST) Tuesday 9/8.  I’ll pick a random winner of a copy of “Daly Life” on Wednesday.

I’ve always been obsessive about my Pistons.  When I was younger I couldn’t wait to get the Detroit Free Press every morning so I could cut out anything pertaining to the Bad Boys and add the clippings to my collection.  Well, I recently came across some of those clippings (I kinda save everything).

The clippings that I found most interesting, being an art loving kind of guy, were the editorial cartoons.  So, I thought I’d share them with the Pistons Nation while we count down the days until the season starts.

This cartoon is by legendary Free Press cartoonist, the late Dick Mayer.  Actually all but one of these cartoons are Mayer’s.

Back before John “Spider” Salley was wimping out on celebrity reality shows he was doing stand up comedy.

Anyone familiar with the Bad Boys knows that Daddy Rich was always riding Sal’s ass.  So a crowd full of Dalys would surely be a nightmare scenario for John.

Personally I’ve never really found Salley to be all that funny.  But, whatever.

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I came across this picture of  first round pick Austin Daye in his Pistons jersey and noticed a patch on the right shoulder.

You can see there’s a ‘CD’ inside the classic Bad Boys era logo for the late Chuck Daly with the #2 which is retired at the Palace in Chuck’s honor for the back-to-back titles he led the Pistons to in ‘89 and ‘90.

Very classy move by the Pistons, I love it.

Getty Images

Seen this via Dave Dial at mLive and needless to say I was pretty incensed.  Bill Livingston of the Plain Dealer seen fit to throw a couple of digs at the late Chuck Daly:

For all his insights, he was wrong there. The most insidious force in the game was the way Daly’s “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons played.

They were the basketball equivalent of the Philadelphia Flyers in their “Broad Street Bullies” days. Any responsible discussion of Daly has to mention that. He was a master at handling difficult personalities, which made him the coach of the 1992 Dream Team, the first Olympic team with NBA players. But he did nothing to cramp the Bad Boys’ style.

Much of the team was intriguing. Undersized Isiah Thomas was one of the great streak scorers ever. Bill Laimbeer was the first big man to stretch defenses with three-point shooting. But brutality was their trademark. Rick Mahorn’s deliberate elbow to the head of Cavs guard Mark Price knocked the team out of a 1989 title run as much as Michael Jordan’s shot.

It was the only way the Pistons could win. Daly admitted that. And win they did, with back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.

[...]

But basketball isn’t much of a game if the only way to stop its great players is to mug them, is it? The league finally severely curtailed thuggery with the “flagrant foul” rule.

Daly didn’t encourage or tolerate such tactics at later coaching stops in New Jersey and Orlando. Maybe he knew he had already bruised the game enough.

Nothing like waiting until a man passes away of a viscous and cruel disease to let the world know that in your opinion he sullied the game that holds his place as one of their best.

He started the column with some complimentary words, but they were just a weak attempt to try and balance out the venom he was about to unleash.

He was just being a responsible journalist? Yeah right.  What ever the reasoning or motive won’t detour the fact that the timing reeks of cowardliness and lack of character.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer is as much at fault.  They’re the ones who chose to publish irreverence to a recently deceased man who was beloved by so many.  It has NOTHING to do with basketball or the fucking Cavs not being able to get over back in 1989.  It’s about decency you jack-offs.

If you didn’t care for the way Chuck Daly coached a team 20 years ago than why not write nothing at all and leave it at that?  I’m sure they’d still pay you if you chose to say drop to your knees and service your King like everyone else.

The first amendment protects Bill’s right to his opinion.  It protects mine too.  You’re a piece of shit Bill Livingston.

Condolences to Chuck Daly’s loved ones.  He was a classy man and may he rest in peace.

I seen a link to alternativehero.com, a t-shirt and accessory site, on MotorCitySports.net after I was done reading a very good article by Joe Borri on the quality person that was Chuck Daly.

Right there on the index page was the Bad Boys/Chuck Daly mock up.  I wanted the shirt upon seeing the cleverness of the design and after reading that 50% of the profits on the sale of this shirt will go to Pancreatic Cancer Research at the University of Michigan (Note the purple tie and ribbon?), it was pretty much a no-brainer.  I ordered one and can’t wait to get it.

(They also have some other really rad Motor City sport-centic shirt designs.)

I also wanted to plug it here on PN for any one of the readers of the site looking to pick up some seriously phenomenal swag and support a good cause. It’s a total win-win.

Like Chuck, cancer took my father after a swift two month battle last February.  Wouldn’t be great if one day we wouldn’t have to see our loved ones succumb to such a devastating disease?  God bless.