Detroit Pistons: 15 players who defined the Bad Boys era

The loss of Rick Mahorn after the 1989 championship season was a tough blow for the reigning champs, as Mahorn was not only a starter, but a key part of the soul of the team. While he was not a replacement for all that Mahorn brought, the Pistons found one in the starting lineup in journeyman center James Edwards.

Selected in the 1977 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Edwards bounced around the league before arriving in Detroit in 1987. Born in 1955, Edwards was the oldest player on the team throughout both of their title runs.

Over his first season-and-a-half in Detroit, Edwards played in 102 games, starting only three. With the loss of Mahorn he was asked to step up into a more prominent role. In the 1989-90 season, Edwards played in 70 regular season games and in all 20 of the team’s postseason games.

Edwards had the ability to have offensive explosions on random nights. In the 1990 NBA Playoffs, he dropped 32 points on the New York Knicks in a tight win.

Edwards moved on after the 1990-91 season, traded by the Pistons to the Los Angeles Clippers. He would bounce around to four more teams before retiring in 1996 after winning a third title as a deep reserve on Chicago Bulls.