| 1979–80 Detroit Pistons season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Dick Vitale Richie Adubato | ||
| General manager | Jack McCloskey | ||
| Owners | William Davidson | ||
| Arena | Pontiac Silverdome | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 16–66 (.195) | ||
| Place | Division: 6th (Central) Conference: 11th (Eastern) | ||
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | WKBD-TV | ||
| Radio | WJR | ||
| |||
The1979–80 Detroit Pistons season was theDetroit Pistons' 32nd season in theNBA and 23rd season in the city ofDetroit.[1] The Pistons were coming off a 30–52 (.366) record from their first season in the Eastern Conference, and aiming to halt declines of six and eight wins from their previous two seasons, but by finishing 16–66 (.195) they had the worst record in franchise history at the time, and the worst NBA record since the1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers won only nine games.
CoachDick Vitale, who was also in charge of player personnel, was fired 12 games into the season, having pushed for a disastrous trade with theBoston Celtics forBob McAdoo when Pistons free agentM.L. Carr signed with Boston that would eventually net the Celtics key championship components Carr,Robert Parish, andKevin McHale in a series of exchanges. Injuries to McAdoo and centerBob Lanier, who was traded to theMilwaukee Bucks during the season, left the Pistons a depleted roster and the team finished with fourteen consecutive defeats.[2] Second year playersJohn Long (19.4 ppg) andTerry Tyler (12.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg) had solid seasons to lead the overwhelmed Pistons.[3]
Vitale never coached again following his dismissal. He began a long and successful career as a television analyst at fledgling cable networkESPN approximately a month after leaving the bench.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Greg Kelser | SF | United States | Michigan State |
| 1 | 10 | Roy Hamilton | PG | United States | UCLA |
| 1 | 15 | Phil Hubbard | PF | United States | Michigan |
| 3 | 48 | Terry Duerod | SG | United States | Detroit |
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
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| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Atlanta Hawks | 50 | 32 | .610 | – | 32–9 | 18–23 | 21–9 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 9 | 29–12 | 12–29 | 20–10 |
| x-San Antonio Spurs | 41 | 41 | .500 | 9 | 27–14 | 14–27 | 14–16 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 13 | 28–13 | 9–32 | 16–14 |
| Indiana Pacers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 13 | 26–15 | 11–30 | 15–15 |
| Detroit Pistons | 16 | 66 | .195 | 34 | 13–28 | 3–38 | 4–26 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Boston Celtics | 61 | 21 | .744 | – |
| 2 | y-Atlanta Hawks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 11 |
| 3 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 59 | 23 | .720 | 2 |
| 4 | x-Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 |
| 5 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 |
| 6 | x-Washington Bullets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 22 |
| 7 | New York Knicks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 22 |
| 8 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 24 |
| 8 | Indiana Pacers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 24 |
| 10 | New Jersey Nets | 34 | 48 | .415 | 27 |
| 11 | Detroit Pistons | 16 | 66 | .195 | 44 |