ClayRock Wrote:Looks close...Dave Bing, Dave DeBusschere, Bob Lanier, John Salley
I didnt know this.He will always be thought of as a knick.
Seriously you think John Salley was that good?Role player.Not Dave Bing maybe lanier.Rip Hamilton is supposed to be as good as Bob Lanier?Ok.
DeBusschere played professional baseball for four seasons. A tall right-handed pitcher with a lively fastball, he was called up by the White Sox in 1963 and went 3-4 with a 3.09 ERA. He showed enough promise that the White Sox protected him by exposing another player to the draft -- future Detroit Tigers star and 31-game winner Denny McLain. During the next two years DeBusschere compiled a 25-9 record for Chicago's Class AAA Indianapolis farm club.
Meanwhile, DeBusschere's NBA career got off to an auspicious start. During the 1962-63 season he averaged 12.7 points and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team. From the very beginning DeBusschere exhibited solid offensive skills. Although he battled for many of his points under the basket, he also proved that he could score with a good, if inconsistent, long-range shot. He handled the ball well for a big man, and occasionally the Pistons used him at guard. DeBusschere also displayed uncommon maturity for a rookie. He may have looked like a bruiser, but he was smart, analytical and coolheaded on the court.
The Pistons made the playoffs during DeBusschere's rookie season, but the following year bad luck struck. DeBusschere broke his leg and played in only 15 games in 1963-64. Detroit managed only 23 wins. Although DeBusschere began the 1964-65 campaign fully recovered, the team limped through a poor start. In November, Pistons owner Fred Zollner made a dramatic move -- he appointed DeBusschere player-coach. At age 24, DeBusschere became the youngest coach in NBA history.
It was speculated that DeBusschere had been given coaching duties to entice him away from baseball. If so, the stratagem worked. Although he played one more season of minor-league baseball, DeBusschere ended his dual-sport career shortly thereafter when he refused to accept a call-up from the White Sox at the end of 1965. He was reportedly unhappy that Chicago hadn't kept him on the major league roster that spring. With basketball training camp beginning, his coaching duties were needed and he had to make a choice.
DeBusschere's stint as coach was not successful. With the notable exception of himself, his Detroit teams were handicapped by a lack of talent. When Coach DeBusschere asked the general managers of other teams which Pistons they would trade for, the answer was always the same: "You." Inexperience and youth probably limited his effectiveness -- DeBusschere was barely 18 months out of college when he assumed coaching duties. He labored for almost three seasons at the helm before he was replaced by Donnis Butcher at the end of the 1966-67 campaign. DeBusschere retired as a coach with a 79-143 record and no playoff appearances; however, he remained with the Pistons as a full-time player.
