Remembering five of the best Detroit Pistons of the teal era

Recently, the Toronto Raptors named former Piston Jerry Stackhouse as an assistant coach. Stackhouse has gotten around the association over the years, playing for not only the Pistons, but the Mavericks, the 76ers, the Wizards, the Bucks, the Nets, the Hawks and finally the Miami Heat in an 18 year career.

With Stackhouse getting a coaching job, it’s easy to get lost on a walk down memory lane. Stack was a star for the Pistons, and his best years were certainly spent in Auburn Hills. He played during an era mostly remembered for mediocrity, both on the court and in the form of those silly teal uniforms. Even more memorable, Stackhouse’s departure was not an inglorious one. He was traded to the Wizards for a young shooting guard who wasn’t moving the needle for Michael Jordan in his final comeback attempt. That shooting guard was Rip Hamilton, and that shooting guard helped win a championship in 2003-04 and established an Eastern Conference dynasty for the better part of a decade.

Thanks, Michael.

While we take that stroll down memory lane, let’s remember some of the best players that the Pistons had during that era. It was an era steeped in underachievement, but it turned out to be an important stepping stone for the decade to come in more ways than one.