Living In Joe D’s World

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// Living In Joe D’s World

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By Kevin Patra ⋅ June 30, 2009
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Joe Dumars wants a mulligan. A year after dismissing Flip Saunders in the famous “no sacred cows” press conference Durmars is dismissing his hand-picked, in-house coach Michael Curry.

Curry was less than successful in his first season going 39-43. There is no doubt that the trade of Chuancey Billups to Denver three games into the season had a huge impact on his success. He lost the team’s leader who could have put all the ducks in line when they started to throw their childlike tantrums. Without Chauncey, Curry had to lean on Team Immature, Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace, to lead the way.

Curry didn’t help the matter by alienating alleged star Rip Hamilton. He botched the situation by benching Hamilton in favor of Iverson, even though Rip had just signed a 5-year extension and it was obvious Iverson wouldn’t be around for more than 10 months. Purportedly, Curry and Rip’s relationship became for strained from there and was close to irreconcilable.

In my un-humble opinion Curry’s biggest problem in his one year was veering away from establishing his young players. He said when hired that he planned on giving the younger players a bigger role, especially the younger big men. While Stuckey got his playing time–due more to the trade than Curry’s willingness to give him minutes–Curry yanked around the big men’s minutes like they were Michael Vick’s dogs (too soon still?). None of them got any better, which led to Dumars trading Amir Johnson–who was once the sticking point in several big trades–to get more cap space.

When you lose more games than you win, you alienate your supposed best player, you manage games terribly and you develop zero players you can’t expect to be around long. It seemed as though he would get at least one more year to prove that the stupid subbing patters, terrible time outs called and not called, and stale play calling were all just rookie mistakes.

However, it seems that his reputation with the players is what did him in–he was one of the worst players to ever start multiple games in the NBA, I’m not sure his street cred was ever that great to begin with. However if Dumars needs to justify cutting ties because Ben Gordon or whatever B+ player is on the market won’t play for him, so be it.

The whole situation falls back on Dumars.

I’m not saying this is a do-or-die for him. Even though his No. 1 fan, Bill Davidson (crossing self) has passed, Dumars is still a “sacred cow.” When you win 2 championships as a player and build a championship winner from spare parts and elbow grease you earned more than a few down years. Plus is there really anyone else available who would do a better job??? I hear Elgin Baylor isn’t doing anything, well except seeing who he can sue next.

The point is, it’s always about what Dumars decides to do. He decided it was time to turn the keys to Stuckey so he traded his best player. He decided it was better off to get under the cap, so he did everything but stand on I-75 and yell that he wasn’t going to re-sign Rasheed, who immediately decided he didn’t really feel like playing.

A building can only be as strong as the architect that builds it–luckily for the Pistons it’s easier to fire coaches than blow out a side of the stadium. Dumars looked like a genius architect when he plucked Billups as his point guard, traded an overrated Stackhouse for a young and still hungry Rip, and swindled the Magic for Ben Wallace in exchange for a ankle-less Grant Hill. He’s looked foolish drafting Mateen Cleaves, gave Kwame Brown $4 mil a year, and, sure I’ll say it, Drafted Darko (even though I fall in the “no Darko = no Sheed = no championship” crowd. Fact is we don’t know what happens if he doesn’t draft Darko, but we do know he won a championship with him; fact.) He has gone through coaches like porn stars go through sex partners.

Dumars set himself up to be one of the few players in free agency this summer, he wasn’t about to let a medicore coach get between him and landing a marquee free agent. Now that Boozer and Okur decided to stay with Utah he might have to settle for second tire post players like Charlie Villenuve and save a few pennies for 2010 or hope teams are still willing to sell off assets for cap space (Amare Stadumare anyone?). Does he pick Gordon away from Chicago, and if so what does that mean for Rip? There isn’t a huge market for a mid-range jump shooter making $10 million with an post-2004 ego who can’t dribble and has proven time and time again he was more a product of Chuancey than a bona fide All-Star.

Who does he pick to lead his band? Does he make the move many thought he should have a year ago and tap Avery Johnson who had a flash-in-the-pan year with Dallas? Does he tap hair-dying T.V. analyst Doug Collins for his second go-round with Pistons? Does he pluck fellow Bad Boys compatriot Bill Laimbeer–I just threw up in my mouth a little. Does he pry Jeff Van Gundy away from his buddy Mark Jackson? Whomever he chooses will go along way in deciding the future direction of his team.

The next few weeks will go along way in proving whether Joe D’s team is fine with treading in the pool of mediocrity for the next 12 months.

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