The Arrogance Bunch

They are an eclectic disaster. The lottery point guard of six squads. The irritable, masked shooting guard. The initially ignored small forward. The angry power forward who pairs points with technical fouls. Two coaches have directed this quartet. A stern legend and a vast underachiever.

During the regular season, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace have excelled. During the postseason, they have faltered. Yet, their strut mirrors the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. Why? Four rings were simply not won.

Their lone title was a titanic upset. In 2004, they stunned the Lakers 4-1. In 2005, the San Antonio Spurs defeated them 4-3. In their first conference final, the New Jersey Nets swept them 4-0. In their fourth, the Miami Heat broke them 4-2. Last night, the Cleveland Cavaliers embarrassed them 4-2.

Assuming Billups and Antonio Mcdyess are resigned, the Detroit Pistons will remain unified. This is not a eulogy. With that stated, last evening mirrored 1991. In 1992, Mark Aguirre, Joe Dumars, James Edwards, Bill Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson, John Salley, Dennis Rodman, and Isaiah Thomas returned. Yet, the Pistons never recovered.