Territorial Bloggings

Dang. Another great one taken from us…

Chuck Daly, coach of the “Bad Boys” Pistons & the only Dream Team worthy of the moniker, died this morning at the age of 78.

NBA, Olympic coach Chuck Daly dies at 78

Chuck Daly, legendary Pistons coach of the Bad Boys, dead at 78

Former Pistons coach Chuck Daly dies at age of 78

Daly coached the Bad Boys Pistons to three NBA Finals and NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. He is the Pistons all-time winning coach in the regular season (467) and post season (71). He also coached the 1992 Dream Team to a gold medal in the Summer Olympic Games was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.

Former Piston John Salley nicknamed him “Daddy Rich” because of his dapper suits, full head of hair and ability to make players think they were running the show when in actuality they were doing what he wanted.

Dennis Rodman called him “God” and viewed him as a father figure.

Daly was a gym rat from Kane, Pa., who coached high school basketball at Punxsutawney, Pa., before becoming an assistant at Duke University and a head coach at Boston College and Penn.

He rose to the top of the NBA with an easy style and ability to understand people. He was the ultimate players coach in a league where he understood his job was to manage stars or 12 mini corporations as he called them.

He was, quite simply, the ultimate NBA coach, and I’m glad he was ours…

Baaaaaad Boooooyyyyysssss!

-ghp