Detroit Pistons: 10 best power forwards in team history
By Amaar Burton
2. Bailey Howell (1959-64)
Bailey Howell may have clinched his Hall of Fame induction by winning two championships with the Celtics in 1968 and 1969, but he built the bulk of his candidacy with the Pistons.
In five seasons with Detroit, Howell averaged 21.1 points and 11.8 rebounds, making the All-Star Game four times and the All-NBA Second Team in 1963. Three times he finished in the league’s top-10 in scoring and rebounding.
Howell helped the Pistons make it to the playoffs four times, but only once did they advance past the opening round. Detroit lost a six-game Western Division finals series to the Elgin Baylor and Jerry West-led Lakers in 1962. Eight Pistons averaged double-figures in scoring in that series, with Howell’s 18.7 points per game leading the way.
The Pistons traded Howell to the Baltimore Bullets in 1964, with whom he had one All-Star season. The Bullets sent Howell to the Celtics in 1966, where he had another All-Star season and won his two title rings.