Detroit Pistons: 5 ‘Bad Boys’ who would fit in with the franchise

The NBA has changed since the Detroit Pistons’ glory days, but there are some players in the league today that embody the muscle and mentality of the “Bad Boys.”

Smart basketball fans know that for an NBA franchise to succeed, it must adjust and adapt with the times. And yet, certain fanbases can be forgiven if they wish for things to go back to the way they used to be.

The Detroit Pistons have had two distinct “golden era” stretches in their long history, and while they happened many years apart, they looked a lot alike.

From the late-1980s into the early-1990s, the Pistons were better known as the “Bad Boys” — a group notorious for overtly physical play and a nasty attitude that produced two NBA championships and a handful of Hall-of-Famers: Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Adrian Dantley and head coach Chuck Daly.

Then, in the 2000s, Detroit put together another team of tough guys with a take-no-prisoners ethos that won a championship in 2004 and made six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances. The coach who guided the Pistons to that championship, Larry Brown, is also in the Hall of Fame, and a couple of his players should join him there, namely Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace.

So while some current-day NBA teams have tried to mimic the small-ball, 3-bombing, finesse-over-force style that has brought the Golden State Warriors three NBA titles in the last four years, you can understand why a lot of Pistons fans believe their best chance at regaining past glory is to bring back that signature Detroit edge.

There is no room left on the roster to add players this offseason, but Pistons fans are always looking for the team to bring in guys who remind them of the good old days.

Here are five active “Bad Boys” who would fit in perfectly with the Pistons.