Question about Bad Boys Documentary

[Smartacus]

Older Celtic Fans,

How did you feel about the Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre trade? I'm a newer fan and to this day I can't imagine a move with such massive implications mid season.

Was Dantley the best player on the Pistons? At the time did you side with Isiah or Adrien?

Finally in the doc Dantley says that he was better than Mark Aguirre and Aguirre was absolutely convinced that he was better than Dantley. Who's right? Was Aguirre just a better fit for the team or was he just legitimately better an Dantley.

[freshinthehouse]

Older Celtic Fans,

How did you feel about the Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre trade? I'm a newer fan and to this day I can't imagine a move with such massive implications mid season.

Was Dantley the best player on the Pistons? At the time did you side with Isiah or Adrien?

Finally in the doc Dantley says that he was better than Mark Aguirre and Aguirre was absolutely convinced that he was better than Dantley. Who's right? Was Aguirre just a better fit for the team or was he just legitimately better an Dantley.

I was just small fry at that time, but I don't remember anyone thinking that Dantley was better than Thomas.  That was Isiah's team.  I couldn't give you any feedback as to who was better between Dantley and Aguirre because I can't remember Dantley and can only vaguely remember Aguirre at the tail end of his career.

[Eddie20]

I think Dantley was the better player (than Aguirre, not Thomas), but didn't fit in as well from a basketball or chemistry (as the documentary showed) standpoint.

Dantley, despite his size, was an amazing post player. He was very creative inside and at times was nearly unstoppable. We would put McHale on him and he would go to work on him too.

Still remember him and Microwave colliding heads on a loose ball in the 4Q of game 7 of the 87 ECF. Dantley was taken to a hospital and Johnson sat on the bench loopy eyed with an icebag on his head. We might not have won if it weren't for that.

[moiso]

Detroit was Isiah's team, but Dantley was a huge part of it.  I was nervous that Aguire wouldn't fit in as well- that he would take more than his share of the shots.  The good thing about it was that Aguire was younger.

[Eja117]

I just happened to read yesterday Bill Simmon's book and he said Isaiah told him (at a topless bar in Vegas) the trade wasn't about basketball. It was about people. Dantley was keeping D Rodman from getting the minutes he needed and it had to be done.
When they played later that year Dantley went up to Isaiah and whispered something to him that made him mad. Simmons thinks it was the NBA equivalent of "I know it was you Fredo".

[Beat LA]

I think Dantley was the better player (than Aguirre, not Thomas), but didn't fit in as well from a basketball or chemistry (as the documentary showed) standpoint.

Dantley, despite his size, was an amazing post player. He was very creative inside and at times was nearly unstoppable. We would put McHale on him and he would go to work on him too.

Still remember him and Microwave colliding heads on a loose ball in the 4Q of game 7 of the 87 ECF. Dantley was taken to a hospital and Johnson sat on the bench loopy eyed with an icebag on his head. We might not have won if it weren't for that.

I know that I'm not of the demographic you're for, but I think that Aguirre was better for the Pistons, because of his willingness to see his minutes drop for greater team success, and because he was a much better shooter, with better range, than Dantley.  When Detroit had AD, their half court offense would be very stagnant, but it was much more wide open with Aguirre, imho.  Dantley was incredibly unique, though.  Did you know that he had to wear a special shoe because one of his legs was longer than the other?  I can't remember where I read that, but it's true.  When he was successful against McHale it was probably mostly due to Kevin's foot fracture and ankle sprain, honestly, because by the time of that ecf, it was beyond recovery. 

The only other thing that I'm going to say is that Dantley was one of Red's favorites, because of the DC connection I believe, and Auerbach even tried to persuade the front office to sign Dantley for the 1990-91 season, the year after AD had missed the final 37 games of the 89-90 season due to a broken right fibula.  Ouch.  I wonder how he would have fit in on that 90-91 team.  Certainly his ability to get to the line would have helped tremendously, and he always got Scottie Pippen in foul trouble.  If nothing else, giving Dantley the chance to stick it to Isiah and end Detroit's run in the 1991 playoffs would have been awesome.  Even at 35, he was still much better than Gamble, who didn't do squat in the postseason that year.

Like Eddie20 said, he was an amazing post player, and he wasn't even 6'5".  I think that there was a segment on some show that named him and Barkley as two of the players we'd never see again, and for good reason.  Watching that piece, though, it shows that he was much more interested in having things his way, instead of sacrificing for the good of the team - kind of like where Kobe is right now, although Dantley wasn't even close to being any bit of the jerk that Bryant is.  He was just a mystery to everyone.  Here -

http://www.nba.com/history/players/dantley_bio.html

[Smartacus]

Just the kind of perspective I was hoping for, thanks everyone.

I just happened to read yesterday Bill Simmon's book and he said Isaiah told him (at a topless bar in Vegas) the trade wasn't about basketball. It was about people. Dantley was keeping D Rodman from getting the minutes he needed and it had to be done.

Wow, I read The Book of Basketball about 2 years ago and it did not click until now that Isiah was talking about the Dantley trade in that quote. Fascinating stuff, think I'm going to have to re read it soon.

Andrian Dantley was definitely a polarizing figure. His game flew in the face of conventional wisdom for how a 6'4 player should play. Doubt we'll ever see another post up/mid range player of his stature, especially with how rare post up big men in general are becoming. Not surprising that  this was one of the reasons that he had to go. How can you design an offense when your 3 man/2 guard is taking all the shot's that your power forwards and Centers should be, even if he was scoring effectively wouldn't the spacing for the rest of the team be a serious problem?

[Smartacus]

Double Post please delete this comment.

[Beat LA]

Just the kind of perspective I was hoping for, thanks everyone.

I just happened to read yesterday Bill Simmon's book and he said Isaiah told him (at a topless bar in Vegas) the trade wasn't about basketball. It was about people. Dantley was keeping D Rodman from getting the minutes he needed and it had to be done.

Wow, I read The Book of Basketball about 2 years ago and it did not click until now that Isiah was talking about the Dantley trade in that quote. Fascinating stuff, think I'm going to have to re read it soon.

Andrian Dantley was definitely a polarizing figure. His game flew in the face of conventional wisdom for how a 6'4 player should play. Doubt we'll ever see another post up/mid range player of his stature, especially with how rare post up big men in general are becoming. Not surprising that  this was one of the reasons that he had to go. How can you design an offense when your 3 man/2 guard is taking all the shot's that your power forwards and Centers should be, even if he was scoring effectively wouldn't the spacing for the rest of the team be a serious problem?

Yes and no.  Yes, especially because they tended to isolate him on the block, plus, with their starters, what would you do with Mahorn?  No, because the Pistons were still primarily a jump shooting team even when they had him until they got James Edwards.  With Zeke, Dumars, and the crybaby on the floor with him it could work, but they obviously needed another guy out there to round out the lineup.