Three Mistakes That Finally Caught Up to Joe Dumars

Let me make one thing perfectly clear. This article is in no way meant to bash Joe Dumars. He is one of the best GMs in the NBA and has done a lot of things right.

However, he has made three big mistakes that have left him at a point where he has to rebuild the Detroit Pistons.

1. Darko Millisec

This was a mystery to me the day they made the pick. This isn't hindsight because I questioned it at the time. At the time, the Pistons still had Ben Wallace, so getting Darko in wouldn't happen. Also with Carmello Anthony and Dwayne Wade, this left me scratching my head.

Sure they already had Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. However, I would have drafted either Anthony or Wade and found a way to make it work. Trading the pick would have been another possibility. Can you imagine how good the Pistons would have been with either of those guys there?

2. Rick Carlisle

I remember beating my head against the wall on this one.

Carlisle was the best coach the Pistons had since Chuck Daly. He built that team and then got replaced with Larry Brown. Piston fans knew that Brown would not be there long term. Since then, they have had Flip Saunders and Michael Curry. Neither has taken the Pistons to the finals. Sure the one championship they one came under Brown, but please, can somebody convince me they wouldn't have won it with Carlisle?

Chaucey Billups/Allen Iverson

This latest mistake has Chauncey playing great for Denver. They could go farther than any other Nugget team in history. The season Iverson had with Detroit was—well I can't even think of the right word to describe it.

Sure Joe D. may have had ulterior motives when he made the trade. He may have been trying to make room to go after LeBron James. Well that is all fine and good if they get him. Being realistic though, James is a god in Cleveland and I doubt he ever leaves.

So what does Dumars do to rebuild it? The good news is that even if he can't get James, the cap space is still available. Despite these three mistakes, which are big, I know that Dumars has done things right. Therefore, I am confident he will bring it back.