>I was genuinely saddened to see this in the news. He was the head coach of the Detroit Pistons, who pimped out the Bulls on an annual basis for several years. The Bulls and MJ finally beat them and established themselves as a dynasty, but they had to go through the Pistons. The first year they beat them was their coming of age.

He was a fine analyst too.

>
>I hated the Pistons with a passion. Really hated them. With the exception of Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn, who were thugs, I bear no ill will to any of them now. Like most Bulls fans, I embraced Dennis Rodman when he joined the team. He played all out every minute and Chicago is the kind of city that loves guys who give it their all.

The only real problem I had with Rodman was that his idea of blocking shots was to turn it over to the opposition by blasting it as far into the stands as he could manage. Looked great, but was counterproductive. On the other hand, he did block a lot of shots - I just thought he could have done it more productively. I certainly agree 100% on Laimbeer and Mahorn. The worst of it was that the refs seemed to like them and allowed them an unusual latitude for their thuggery.

>
>Mainly I remember Chuck Daly for his sartorial splendor and his coolness under pressure. When the Pistons were going through a run bad enough that he had to call time out (rare) he was under control and urgent in the huddle. He said this is what we need to do, this is what we need to stop doing, focus, Even from the distance of television I knew this was a coach you would run through a wall for. Pure class.
>
>It's funny in a way that I remember his attire. He was not anchorman handsome. He must have spent a nice chunk of change on his wardrobe. I don't know if it was him or Pat Riley who established the standard that basketball coaches need to look sharp in addition to knowing their X's and O's.
>
>He had a nice run, living to be nearly 80. Salud.