Detroit Pistons: 10 best power forwards in team history
By Amaar Burton
10. Rick Mahorn (1985-89, 1996-98)
He didn’t put up memorable stats, didn’t make an All-Star Game, and he came off the bench more often than he was in the starting lineup, but Rick Mahorn remains one of the enduring faces of the legendary “Bad Boys” Detroit squads.
The 6’10” enforcer earned his nickname “McNasty” while averaging 6.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game over two stints with the Pistons. The first one peaked when Mahorn helped the team win the 1989 NBA championship. The second one saw Mahorn as a little-used veteran pushing 40 years old on teams that never got past the first round.
Any highlight package of the “Bad Boys” probably won’t show Mahorn making or blocking any shots, but he’ll definitely be on the clip doling out hard fouls and pushing guys around while smiling about it the whole time.
Mahorn’s standout individual accolade as a pro was being named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 1989-90, the year after the Pistons let him go in the league’s expansion draft and he wound up teaming with Charles Barkley on the Philadelphia 76ers.