If there was one word to describe the Detroit Pistons of the 2010s it would be … um … erm … uhhhhhh … hm … I don’t know.
Forgettable, right? There’s the word!
The Detroit Pistons competed in the playoffs just twice — both times as the No. 8 seed — and didn’t hold a top-5 draft pick. Detroit couldn’t even claim to be pseudo-offseason winners with any splashy signings.
The past decade (and counting) has been basketball purgatory, which helps explain why the roster deconstruction initiated by general manager Troy Weaver inspired hope. Positive change is on the horizon.
But let us not forget our humble roots since the days of post-championship contention. I took a stroll down memory lane, blowing off the dust of Pistons’ relics. And through what we may have forgotten will illustrate why the potential of future salvation will be so sweet.
Detroit Pistons: 10 players you may have forgotten
Luigi Datome (2013-2015)
“Gigi”, as he was affectionately known, graced the Palace of Auburn Hills by way of the Italian Lega Basket Series A (LBA), where he had just been named the league’s Most Valuable Player.
The hirsute Datome was hailed for his combo forward size and 3-point shooting, but it seems that the NBA had heard otherwise.
Datome was a 40-percent 3-point shooter in Europe, but just 18 and 25 percent for Detroit in 37 games between two seasons. He never averaged more than 3.7 points per game. Of course, with the Boston Celtics in his final season in the NBA, he shot 47 percent.
Today, Datome is back home playing for Olimpia Milano in the LBA
Josh Harrellson (2013-2014)
Harrellson had a national profile as a second-round draft pick out of Kentucky, but his reputation did not precede him.
After struggling his first two NBA seasons with the Knicks and Heat, Harrellson played in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for the Chongqing Flying Dragons. He averaged 22 points, 18 rebounds and was named the league’s MVP before the Pistons signed him to a two-year deal.
Needless to say, Harrellson could not replicate his CBA dominance. He spent 32 games with Detroit averaging 10 minutes per contest, and averaged just 2.9 points and 2.4 boards.
Harrellson now plays in the Japanese B.League, notching nearly a double-double per game.