AUBURN HILLS – For five years as assistant to Clem Haskins at Western Kentucky – Dwane Casey’s first rung in his ascent to the top of the coaching profession – he’d hear the stories.
“When I worked with Clem, all he talked about was Dave Bing, Dave Bing – class, Dave Bing,” Casey said.
When the Pistons hired Casey last June, one of the first things he and wife Brenda did was have dinner with Bing and his wife, Yvette. He wanted Bing to share his trove of wisdom – gleaned from a career in the NBA followed by a long stint as head of his own steel company and then a term as Detroit’s mayor – with the Pistons.
That happened Sunday morning before the Pistons practiced.
“It went great,” Casey said. “The players were glued in. He did a fantastic job of talking about teamwork, professionalism and where he sees our team. He knows our team inside and out. As far as what he saw, I’m going to keep that within us. But he knows the game.”
It’s not the first time Bing has addressed the Pistons. Stan Van Gundy tapped that wholly unique resource, as well. But with the rate of roster turnover in the NBA, it was nearly a wholly new audience for the 74-year-old Bing, the second overall pick by the Pistons in the 1966 draft.
Bing, a 1990 Hall of Fame inductee, spent a season as teammates with Haskins in 1975-76 – his first with Washington after wearing a Pistons uniform for nine years. A seven-time All-Star, Bing averaged 22.6 points over the course of his Pistons career with a high of 27.1 in 1967-68.
He’s always remained connected to the Pistons with a special bond to their point guards from Isiah Thomas to Chauncey Billups. And though he remained staunchly supportive of the Pistons during their 29 seasons at The Palace, Bing always yearned for the franchise to return to its downtown roots.
“He did a fantastic job of speaking to our team and talking about the fans of Detroit – how when he played, this was a destination spot for the league,” Casey said. “That’s what we want to get it back to – a place where free agents look at and our players enjoy and talk to players about being part of the community and investing back into the city of Detroit.”