Report: Pistons General Manager Joe Dumars Will Resign
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - The long tenure of Joe Dumars with the Detroit Pistons appears to be coming to an end, according to the Detroit News, which says Dumars has reportedly decided to resign and could do so as early as this week.
The Pistons drafted Dumars in 1985, and for many years he proved himself an integral part of the franchise's success. The team won championships in 1989 and 1990 with Dumars on the court, and they won their third title, in 2004, with him as the general manager, a job he began prior to the 2000-2001 season. The Pistons advanced to the conference finals in six straight years between 2002 and 2008.
Since then, the team has not been back, missing the playoffs for the past four years and on track to miss out on the postseason again this season. The moves Dumars made in the summer included bringing in Maurice Cheeks as head coach and signing big-name veterans Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith.
Team owner Tom Gores made a public playoffs-or-bust mandate before the season and then demanded Cheeks be fired after 50 games as the Pistons struggled. Dumars was reportedly against the firing but got overruled. The switch from Cheeks to promoted assistant John Loyer did not make enough of a difference, however.
The Pistons are currently 28-49. In a two-day span in late March they suffered particularly insulting losses. LeBron James recorded a triple-double as the Miami Heat routed the Pistons, spoiling the Bad Boys Reunion. The next day the Pistons were blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers, who had been on a 26-game losing streak.
