What's wrong with the Pistons? Grant Hill tried to answer that
question from reporters 30 or 40 times, in polite, respectful
fashion. Then, last Saturday in an interview with SI, the
All-Star forward, angry with what was quickly becoming a lost
season in Detroit, dispensed with good manners and deplored the
state of his team. Two days later Doug Collins, Detroit's coach
for 2 1/2 seasons, was fired and replaced by assistant Alvin
Gentry.
After winning 54 games in 1996-97, the Pistons were expected to
be contenders for the Eastern Conference title. But at week's
end, after dropping four of their last six, they had slid to
21-24 and were tied with the Celtics for the 11th-best record in
the conference.
"You know what's wrong with us?" said Hill, also voicing the
thoughts of several teammates. "We're not that good. My first
couple of years here, we took some steps in the right direction.
But now it's like we're going backwards. This is the most
frustrated I've ever been in my career."
At the center of Detroit's storm was Collins, the fanatical
coach who demanded perfection and was relentless in his pursuit
of it. No one questioned Collins's exceptional knowledge of the
game, but players found it difficult, and in some cases
impossible, to respond to his frenetic style. Sources told SI
that in at least two meetings with owner Bill Davidson, Hill
recommended a coaching change.
When asked about those meetings, Hill bristled. He acknowledged
that he had huddled with Davidson, but he wouldn't divulge the
substance of their conversations. "If the owner wants to meet
with me, then of course I'm going to sit down with him," Hill
said.
Hill has no interest in being lumped with Penny Hardaway, who
has been branded as the spoiled athlete who led last season's
palace revolt that brought down Magic coach Brian Hill. The
difference, as several Pistons sources attest, is that Grant
Hill worked hard at trying to peacefully coexist with Collins.
But the relationship of the coach and his superstar suffered a
crippling setback in the aftermath of a Jan. 24 NBC interview in
which Hill declined to endorse Collins. Six days later Hill was
called into his coach's office, and the two engaged in a heated
discussion that ended when Hill uncharacteristically shouted
back at Collins. "There's no going back with those two now,"
reported one member of the Pistons afterward.
In the meantime Hill's performance was suffering on the court,
where at week's end, though he was averaging 21.5 points, his
field goal percentage was 43.6%, down from 49.6% last year. Some
of the same media members who once embraced Hill as the "next
Michael Jordan" are now dismissing him as overrated. But what
they fail to note is that a considerable amount of talent has
left Detroit over the last two years, leaving Hill to carry too
much of the load.
In '95-96 Hill, shooting guards Joe Dumars and Allan Houston,
and power forward Otis Thorpe were the core of an up-and-coming
club. But Houston bolted to the Knicks as a free agent two
seasons ago, Thorpe was shipped off to the Grizzlies last summer
in the wake of his highly publicized clashes with Collins, and
Dumars, his best years behind him, has struggled with injuries.
Also, center Terry Mills, who last season helped with the
long-range attack, left the team as a free agent for the Heat.
The December acquisition of shooting guard Jerry Stackhouse from
the 76ers has helped put more points on the board, but he's a
scorer, not a shooter. "So now we're a bunch of clones," Hill
said of the club Gentry inherits. "We've got all
slashers"—Stackhouse and guards Lindsey Hunter and Malik
Sealy—"and no deep threat to keep the defense honest."
The Pistons thought they had upgraded the team by signing
free-agent center Brian Williams, whom they were banking on to
provide a physical presence up front. But according to team
sources, Williams has been a major disappointment, providing
neither toughness nor intensity despite averaging 17.2 points.
His teammates and coaches are frustrated because Williams misses
too much practice due to various minor ailments.
In one respect Detroit's decline has taken pressure off Hill: He
is no longer referred to as the next Jordan, a burden that's
been transferred to 19-year-old Lakers star Kobe Bryant. Is Hill
relieved? "In some ways, I'm kind of jealous," he said. "Kobe is
in such a great environment. I'd love to see what it's like to
be around three other All-Stars [Shaquille O'Neal, Eddie Jones
and Nick Van Exel]."
Hill won't know anytime soon. Dumars, the only other current
Piston ever to make an All-Star team, will retire this summer,
leaving Hill to wonder how—and when—Detroit can turn it around
again. "I know I'll be criticized until I win a championship,"
he said. "That's how it was with Michael and Hakeem. But it's
hard to watch us get further away, instead of closer to that
goal."
Issue date: February 9, 1998
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