When the Pistons announced that Joe Dumars had hired Ken Catanella as the team’s Director of Basketball Operations, the news was met with guarded optimism. Catanella has a great track record in basketball analytics, but based on Detroit’s history with statistics, or lack thereof, it wasn’t clear whether or not the organization intended to take full advantage of his expertise.
Pistons President Dennis Mannion gave fans of analytics a reason to get their hopes up at today’s Palace media event. While discussing his belief in the importance of advanced statistics, Mannion noted that when Dumars hired Catanella for his new role, “there was no gun to his head.”
Mannion is no stranger to advanced stats himself, as he indicated that the Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of similar analysis when he served as President of that organization. If his implication is correct and Dumars is also a believer, Pistons fans have another big reason to get excited about the future of the franchise.