Chuck Daly has passed away

[RatBastich]

Former Pistons coach Chuck Daly dead at 78

from NBA.com

DETROIT (AP) -- Chuck Daly, who coached the Dream Team to the Olympic gold medal in 1992 after winning back-to-back NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons, has died. He was 78.

He died Saturday morning in Jupiter, Fla., with his family by his side, the Pistons said. The team announced in March the Hall of Fame coach was being treated for pancreatic cancer.

Daly was renowned for his ability to create harmony out of diverse personalities at all levels of the game, whether they were Ivy Leaguers at Pennsylvania, Dream Teamers Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, or Pistons as dissimilar as Dennis Rodman and Joe Dumars.
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Daly left mark on Pistons, Dream Team

By Ken Shouler
Special to ESPN.com

It was after Game 4 of the 1988 NBA Finals. The Pistons had destroyed the Lakers in body-to-body combat, 111-86. "Adrian Dantley went headhunting twice, after James Worthy and Magic," Los Angeles coach Pat Riley fumed after the game. Asked about the Pistons' hyperphysical play, Chuck Daly said he didn't encourage it, explaining coyly that his undersized Pistons couldn't win with that style against a team of thoroughbreds like Los Angeles.

Then Daly reversed himself.

"Things change from the regular season into the playoffs," he added. "The game is more physical. But look at us; if we and the Lakers lined up next to each other five-on-five, position-by-position, we come out on the short end. They're studs -- they make us look like a mongrel team."






My condolences and prayers go out to the Daly Family.
Chuck Daly was easily one of the best coaches in the NBA, and he will be greatly missed.

[daigong]

Mad condolences to the Daly Family. Really puts this whole Championship season in perspective.

Cancer is a bitch.

And he really put his defensive imprint on a lot of the Eastern Conference teams like NJ, Orlando, Cleveland, etc.

Truly one of the best, always epic to see those Lakers-Pistons, Pistons-Blazers finals.