Tommy John
10-05-2004, 07:30 PM
From the New York Daily News
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Dumars has Pistons hungry for a repeat
After shocking just about everyone but themselves with their manhandling of the Lakers last June, the Pistons will be presented with their diamond-encrusted championship rings in a few weeks.
"Let me tell you, they're a whole lot bigger than the ones I got as a player," says team president Joe Dumars.
As he prepared for the opening of training camp today, we caught up with Dumars last week to get his views on repeating as champs, Larry Brown's old-school coaching style, Rasheed Wallace's new contract, and the new big man they've got down in Miami, among other topics:
DN: As you've probably heard a million times since June, your team didn't win the title; the Lakers lost it. Does that bother you?
JD: Well, my players are looking at that as a slight. But personally, I like that. I'm like, "Thank you." That's a carrot I will dangle out in front of them all year. We haven't been anointed. People respect us and have congratulated us for a job well done, but they're looking elsewhere to see who's the next champ.
DN: A lot of people are looking at Miami because they've got Shaquille O'Neal, even though he doesn't have Kobe Bryant or much of a supporting cast.
JD: That's great for my team. Miami is going to be the darling of the East. That's fine with me. But we have a unique perspective around here. We understand that you've got to get on the court and get it done. My guys know that you can't talk your way to the NBA championship. You've got to play the games.
DN: You played on back-to-back championship teams. What's the key to repeating?
JD: Besides staying healthy, we have to keep our edge and come in with the right mindset. We can't go out there on Nov. 2 against the Houston Rockets and play it like it's Game 6. We're not expecting our guys to pick up right where we left off, and they also can't come in with a been-there-done-that mindset. We have to start building again and learn and work and do all the little things again to be a championship team. The experience of last year, going through those wars, is going to be a bonus for us. But the big thing is, we have to have that same edge we had last year. We can't let the championship ring and trophies take that edge away from us.
DN: Larry Brown has never coached a veteran team that's coming off a championship. As much as he loves to teach, is there a concern he might be too heavy-handed with this group?
JD: I understand what you're saying. But it all goes back to what I told Larry the day I hired him. I said, "You don't understand this, but you are now coaching a team with the absolute best character, in terms of people, that you'll ever coach." This is a mature group. They know Larry is a teacher and wants to do things his way. I was talking to Ben Wallace the other day and he was laughing and joking about that. He was telling me, 'A week from now, I'm going to have my game broke down again.' So they know what to expect. And they're going to allow Larry Brown to be Larry Brown.
DN: You're including Chauncey Billups in that, but as you know, Larry wants his point guard to play like John Stockton or Jason Kidd. Billups and Brown had some clashes last spring, but now your point guard is coming off an MVP performance in the Finals. As a Finals MVP winner yourself, what advice do you have for Billups?
JD: Now that he has the ring and the MVP trophy, he can't go back to the level he was at two years ago. Now he's expected to stay at that MVP level. It's all about confidence, not talent or shooting ability. It's what's in his head. He's competed against Jason Kidd the last two years, he's been matched up against the best point guard in the NBA and he's made it through that gauntlet. I think he can handle it.
DN: But can Rasheed Wallace handle that new five-year, $60 million contract without reverting back to his Portland behavior?
JD: I really don't have any concerns about Rasheed. If I did, if I thought that this was a guy who was going to be a disruptive element, I would not have traded for him. And irrespective that we won a championship with him, I certainly wouldn't have committed to him for five years. He was one of our first players back in our gym. He's been working out for a month now here. From what I heard from people back in Portland, that never happened when he was out there.
DN: While you didn't overpay Wallace, it looks like you overpaid on Antonio McDyess, giving him a four-year, $23 million deal.
JD: Obviously, anytime you speak of McDyess, the first thing you have to say is, if . . . if the guy stays healthy, he can have a huge impact for us. Once he got out of New York, I watched him closely. I really watched him when he played those last 42 games in Phoenix. I thought he looked great the entire time. He has shown all the signs that he's ready. Now, we're not going to count on him to play 35-40 minutes a night, but he can help us coming off the bench for Rasheed and Ben.
DN: The last time the Pistons won a title, with you, Isiah Thomas and Vinnie Johnson, they repeated. Do you think this group can repeat?
JD: I'm not in the prediction business. But my guys know me. I always tell 'em, "Don't tell me how you'll do. Let me see you go out and do it." So all I'll say is this: Come the end of the year, we will be a factor.
Back for seconds
Dumars has Pistons hungry for a repeat
After shocking just about everyone but themselves with their manhandling of the Lakers last June, the Pistons will be presented with their diamond-encrusted championship rings in a few weeks.
"Let me tell you, they're a whole lot bigger than the ones I got as a player," says team president Joe Dumars.
As he prepared for the opening of training camp today, we caught up with Dumars last week to get his views on repeating as champs, Larry Brown's old-school coaching style, Rasheed Wallace's new contract, and the new big man they've got down in Miami, among other topics:
DN: As you've probably heard a million times since June, your team didn't win the title; the Lakers lost it. Does that bother you?
JD: Well, my players are looking at that as a slight. But personally, I like that. I'm like, "Thank you." That's a carrot I will dangle out in front of them all year. We haven't been anointed. People respect us and have congratulated us for a job well done, but they're looking elsewhere to see who's the next champ.
DN: A lot of people are looking at Miami because they've got Shaquille O'Neal, even though he doesn't have Kobe Bryant or much of a supporting cast.
JD: That's great for my team. Miami is going to be the darling of the East. That's fine with me. But we have a unique perspective around here. We understand that you've got to get on the court and get it done. My guys know that you can't talk your way to the NBA championship. You've got to play the games.
DN: You played on back-to-back championship teams. What's the key to repeating?
JD: Besides staying healthy, we have to keep our edge and come in with the right mindset. We can't go out there on Nov. 2 against the Houston Rockets and play it like it's Game 6. We're not expecting our guys to pick up right where we left off, and they also can't come in with a been-there-done-that mindset. We have to start building again and learn and work and do all the little things again to be a championship team. The experience of last year, going through those wars, is going to be a bonus for us. But the big thing is, we have to have that same edge we had last year. We can't let the championship ring and trophies take that edge away from us.
DN: Larry Brown has never coached a veteran team that's coming off a championship. As much as he loves to teach, is there a concern he might be too heavy-handed with this group?
JD: I understand what you're saying. But it all goes back to what I told Larry the day I hired him. I said, "You don't understand this, but you are now coaching a team with the absolute best character, in terms of people, that you'll ever coach." This is a mature group. They know Larry is a teacher and wants to do things his way. I was talking to Ben Wallace the other day and he was laughing and joking about that. He was telling me, 'A week from now, I'm going to have my game broke down again.' So they know what to expect. And they're going to allow Larry Brown to be Larry Brown.
DN: You're including Chauncey Billups in that, but as you know, Larry wants his point guard to play like John Stockton or Jason Kidd. Billups and Brown had some clashes last spring, but now your point guard is coming off an MVP performance in the Finals. As a Finals MVP winner yourself, what advice do you have for Billups?
JD: Now that he has the ring and the MVP trophy, he can't go back to the level he was at two years ago. Now he's expected to stay at that MVP level. It's all about confidence, not talent or shooting ability. It's what's in his head. He's competed against Jason Kidd the last two years, he's been matched up against the best point guard in the NBA and he's made it through that gauntlet. I think he can handle it.
DN: But can Rasheed Wallace handle that new five-year, $60 million contract without reverting back to his Portland behavior?
JD: I really don't have any concerns about Rasheed. If I did, if I thought that this was a guy who was going to be a disruptive element, I would not have traded for him. And irrespective that we won a championship with him, I certainly wouldn't have committed to him for five years. He was one of our first players back in our gym. He's been working out for a month now here. From what I heard from people back in Portland, that never happened when he was out there.
DN: While you didn't overpay Wallace, it looks like you overpaid on Antonio McDyess, giving him a four-year, $23 million deal.
JD: Obviously, anytime you speak of McDyess, the first thing you have to say is, if . . . if the guy stays healthy, he can have a huge impact for us. Once he got out of New York, I watched him closely. I really watched him when he played those last 42 games in Phoenix. I thought he looked great the entire time. He has shown all the signs that he's ready. Now, we're not going to count on him to play 35-40 minutes a night, but he can help us coming off the bench for Rasheed and Ben.
DN: The last time the Pistons won a title, with you, Isiah Thomas and Vinnie Johnson, they repeated. Do you think this group can repeat?
JD: I'm not in the prediction business. But my guys know me. I always tell 'em, "Don't tell me how you'll do. Let me see you go out and do it." So all I'll say is this: Come the end of the year, we will be a factor.