The Bad Boy nights schedule for the Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are trying to create a new era of Detroit basketball that will hopefully have similar success as teams in the past.

Detroit fans know our eras by names, as the Bad Boys and Goin’ to Work teams both brought titles and sustained success to the Motor City.

Not much has gone right since, which is why fans are hungry for that kind of success again. Those of us who can remember know just how special Detroit is when the Pistons are actually good.

But for now we’ll have to settle with celebrating and honoring the past, which the Detroit Pistons are doing this year with the Bad Boys.

Detroit Pistons Bad Boy uniforms and player celebrations

The Detroit Pistons released their new city edition uniforms, which celebrate the Bad Boys with color, font and details. I have to say, I wasn’t thrilled with these at first, but they have grown on me and I may or may not have a Beef Stew jersey incoming as we speak.

In addition to the uniforms, the Pistons unveiled the court they will play on when they wear the Bad Boys jerseys. Again, I approve:

Pistons Bad Boys nights schedule

The Detroit Pistons will also honor various players throughout the season, though there are some names that are conspicuously absent from the schedule so far:

• November 5th: Isiah Thomas
• December 26th: Rick Mahorn
• January 27th: John Long
• February 26th: James Edwards
• March 20th: Vinnie Johnson
• March 22nd: John Salley
• April 1st (TBD)

I was very surprised not to see Joe Dumars or Bill Laimbeer, as both were not only huge parts of title teams but the epitome of Pistons’ basketball, as they played their entire careers with the Pistons (not quite in Laimbeer’s case) and are among their all-time leaders in several categories.

It’s possible that we’ll see one of them in that April 1st spot that has yet to be announced.

As we wait for the present-day Pistons to turn into a winner, it’s good to remember that this franchise has a storied history that places them among the elite of the NBA. It’s time to get back there.