Joe Dumars brought NBA championships to the Detroit Pistons as both a player and general manager before the wheels fell off. After reportedly attempting to take control of the Sacramento Kings, he has been hired as a top executive in the NBA league office.
Hey, at least Pistons fans can be comforted in that they will (finally!) have an ally in the league office. Maybe that means Detroit’s long history of bad luck (not counting last year) in draft positions in the lottery will be permanently ended.
Joe Dumars has been a part of the NBA as a player and in team management. He now gets to use his expertise involving the entire league.
The NBA recently announced that Dumars, a star guard on the ‘Bad Boys’ teams, as well as the GM when they won the title in 2004, will be their new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operation.
The NBA announced today that Joe Dumars, a Hall of Fame player, distinguished team executive and NBA champion with more than 30 years of experience in the league, has been appointed Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 2, 2022
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"“My life has centered on the NBA for nearly 40 years, which makes the opportunity to serve the entire league incredibly exciting and rewarding,” said Dumars in a press release. “I’m looking forward to using my skills and experience to collaborate with all 30 teams on ways to shape the future direction of the league and help the game continue to evolve.”"
Ironically, one of his duties will involve evaluating the conduct and discipline of players. He played his entire career with the Pistons (1984-99), who were known for their physical (opponents called dirty) play, as they won two NBA titles.
So, a former teammate of Rick Mahorn, Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer gets to stand in judgement of current players and the penalties they should receive for unsportsmanlike actions. Hey, who would know better than Dumars what is just playing tough or crossing the line? He’s seen it all.
Dumars is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, as he and Isiah Thomas formed one of the best backcourts in NBA history.
Shortly after retiring as a player, Dumars took over the Pistons front office in 2000. He made trades to acquire Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton and drafted Tayshaun Prince, despite many thinking he took him too high.
Detroit’s ‘Goin to Work’ crew won the NBA championship in 2004, crushing the heavily favored Kobe-Shaq Lakers, 4-1, in the finals. Detroit went to the Eastern Conference finals four straight times under Dumars.
However, the Pistons after 2008 tailed off (to this day they have yet to win another playoff game) and Dumars left running the franchise in 2014.
Joe Dumars tried to be King of the Kings
For the past three seasons, Dumars has been an advisor and chief strategy officer with the Sacramento Kings. They have even a worse recent history of futility than the Pistons, not having made the NBA playoffs or even the play-in (not a high bar either) in 16 years.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic (PAID SITE), Dumars wanted to be in charge of the Kings personnel operations and have general manager Monte McNair (who he had helped hire) report to him, instead of owner Vivek Ranadive. The owner nixed that idea, and Dumars decided to move on and take a major position in the league office.
One wonders if Isaiah Stewart would have got suspended for pushing LeBron James if Dumars was in charge of discipline at the time. We will never know, but at least Pistons players know they will get a fair shake with the league office now.