The greatest Detroit Pistons of all time by height

Detroit Pistons: Greatest player at each height

6’10”

Bob Lanier

There are some really good debates on this list, some of which surprise. Whether Bob Lanier is the no-brainer to represent the Pistons among 6’10” stars comes into question when one realizes that Rick Mahorn was the same height.

Mahorn played for a long time – nearly 20 seasons, six of those with the Pistons. He spent four years here during his prime before coming back toward the end of his career and taking on more of a mentor’s role. He’s also been a regular in the broadcast booth since retiring and it’s tough deciding whether to give him a little credit for that. On the other hand, Bob Lanier served in some important roles as well.

Lanier gave us his best, spending about the first decade of his career with the team. He averaged 22.7 points per game as a Piston and added 11.8 boards. Those were numbers that Mahorn couldn’t touch. Mahorn registered just a little over 6 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds. There is quite a chasm between those two sets of numbers. However, it doesn’t take into account that Mahorn won a championship with the Pistons, and Lanier didn’t.

I’m telling you, it’s a tough call, and for me, toughness ends up being the tie-breaker. No, that doesn’t mean I’m swinging this McNasty’s way. Rather, I’m giving it to Bob-a-dob for what he did TO a Piston while a Milwaukee Buck in 1983 (which if you didn’t know, Bob Lanier punched Bill Laimbeer in the mouth – which is how torches get passed in Detroit Basketball).