Detroit Free Press

On June 15, 2004, the crowd in the Palace of Auburn Hills roared. Richard Hamilton hugged Darvin Ham on his way to the bench. Hamilton unfastened his signature face mask before wielding it to the sold-out crowd as red, white, and blue confetti fell around him. The aura of victory engulfed the city. The underdogs did

It has been exactly a year since the Detroit Pistons hired Troy Weaver to be their new general manager. In the time since, the former Oklahoma City Thunder executive has shown why he was the top candidate on Tom Gores’ list. Weaver completely overhauled the roster, and only one player — Sekou Doumbouya — remains from

Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey had strong rookie seasons for the Detroit Pistons. The NBA’s awards voters rewarded them on Thursday. Bey was named to the All-Rookie first team, and Stewart made the second team, the league announced. They’re the first rookie duo to earn All-Rookie honors for the Pistons since Andre Drummond and Kyle Singler

In five days, the Detroit Pistons will know their 2021 NBA draft fate. The draft lottery is set for Tuesday, and it could define Detroit’s trajectory through next season and beyond. They finished with the second-worst record in 2020-21 and a 14% chance at the top spot. Will they move up in the draft lottery

When the Pistons hired former Michigan basketball coach John Beilein to  Dwane Casey’s coaching staff earlier this month, it signaled that more changes were underway as the franchise continues to flesh out its player development program. Former Celtics assistant Jerome Allen, former Pacers assistant Bill Bayno and former Kings assistant Rex Kalamian are all joining Casey’s

Legal or illegal, Detroit Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey has always loved cars and racing. “I love cars, and I grew up loving cars. Even back home, (we had) burnout sessions,” Bey said Sunday at Belle Isle. “People would have their fast cars and race late at night, and stuff like that. It has always been something

The first round of 2021 NBA draft could be straightforward for the Detroit Pistons. It could also be complicated. A top-four pick would simplify the decision-making process for the front office. There are four players clearly better than the rest of the field: Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs and Jalen Green. The Pistons, like

Assistant general manager David Mincberg and the Detroit Pistons have parted ways, a league source told the Free Press on Thursday. Mincberg was hired by the Pistons last July, following three years with the Milwaukee Bucks as their vice president of basketball strategy. He was general manager Troy Weaver’s first addition to the front office, and

Former Detroit Pistons shooting guard Luke Kennard scored 18 points Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz. The current Los Angeles Clipper hit four 3-pointers. He was on the floor down the stretch of a tight playoff game. He made a difference. He is not a difference-maker. You could say the same of two other former

Detroit Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey will join Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell as a grand marshal for the 2021 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Campell and Bey will split grand marshal duties with Campbell on Saturday, and Bey on Sunday. Bey, who the Pistons picked 19th overall from Villanova, finished his rookie season averaging 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per

When Blake Griffin made his first post-buyout return to Little Caesars Arena on March 26, he was a different player than the one who departed the Detroit Pistons more than a month prior. He scored 17 points on just eight shots, marking one of his most efficient scoring outbursts of the season up to that

OK, we get that playing for a championship can be a little more motivating than playing at the start of a rebuild. But c’mon! Blake Griffin is continuing to turn back the hands of time with the Brooklyn Nets. The former Detroit Pistons All-Star did not record a dunk in 20 games this season before

We’re roughly three weeks past the end of the regular season, and two weeks away from the NBA draft lottery. In other words, it’s the quiet part of the offseason for the Detroit Pistons, and a good opportunity to look ahead at what could come. Big thanks to everyone who sent questions for the first mailbag

Carol Cain |  Free Press Business Columnist Rob Murphy has never backed down from a challenge. Not in life and not in his chosen profession of basketball. Raised a good portion of his early years by a single mother, he embraced and defeated the challenge of growing up on the hard scrabble streets of Detroit to become

Looking back at the Detroit Pistons‘ run a generation ago, the 2004 NBA championship is undoubtedly appreciated. But the six consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference finals yielding just one league title left things feeling a bit unfulfilled. There are many theories as to why the Pistons didn’t win more, from the “Lakers were imploding”

Saddiq Bey entered the NBA with a reputation as a 3-point marksman. He was one of the best shooters in college basketball as a sophomore at Villanova, making 45.1% of his 5.6 attempts per game. His outside shot translated immediately with the Pistons. Bey not only had the best 3-point shooting season in team history,

The Detroit Pistons announced Thursday that Pontiac-based United Wholesale Mortgage will be the team’s new official jersey sponsor beginning next season, replacing Flagstar Bank. Under the multiyear deal, the UWM logo will appear in the same place on players’ jerseys — the left shoulder — as Flagstar’s logo did until its partnership ended last month. Troy-based Flagstar was the team’s first jersey

The offseason has begun for the Detroit Pistons, which means it’s also time for videos of NBA players’ workouts popping up on social media. On Tuesday, sports marketing company New Recruit Media posted a video of Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart working out with USA Basketball coach Scott Fitch. The 2-minute clip opens with Stewart dribbling

A key Detroit Pistons front office member has departed the organization. Former senior director of player personnel Gregg Polinsky is no longer with the Pistons, a league source confirmed to the Free Press on Wednesday. Polinsky was hired in July 2018 by the previous front office guided by Ed Stefanski, and exits after a season with the

The Detroit Pistons underwent a near-full roster remake last offseason, with only Sekou Doumbouya the only holdover. This offseason won’t see quite as many trades and signings. It wouldn’t be surprising to see most of the 2020-21 roster return next season. There’s always a chance for more changes to happen, though. The foundation of the