JB Bickerstaff fires back at critics calling Detroit players fools
The Detroit Pistons stay atop the Eastern Conference with a 40-13 record, anchored by Cade Cunningham’s stellar play and Jalen Duren, with the supporting cast making consistent contributions.
The Pistons exude toughness on both endsand some claim they are reminiscent of the team’s “Bad Boy” era of the early 1990s. Others, however, are not happy with the Pistons, saying they are too rough and too physical.
Detroit coach JB Bickerstaffhowever, beg to differ.
“People were talking about how they were limiting our guys’ basketball opportunities, and they were calling them rough and bullies and things like that,” Bickerstaff told Road Trippin’.
“Our guys grab and hold and wrestle. You go back and watch us every night and see the things that happen, and it’s physical, right? We give as much as we take, but we don’t cross the line, okay? That’s what I want everyone to be aware of. Our guys come out and impact the basketball game through all the basketball games to their tough physicality.
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Recently, the NBA suspended Duren for four games and Isaiah Stewart for seven games for fighting with the Charlotte Hornets. It wasn’t the first time Duren and Stewart were involved in an argument.
Bickerstaff, who joined the team in 2024, admitted that while they’re trying to emulate the Pistons’ “Bad Boy” era, they’re not trying to intentionally hurt anyone. He emphasized that they simply play hard for the fans because that is what is expected of them.
“They love that style of play, that toughness, that toughness, you know, the ability to not back down from anybody, to play unselfish basketball and do things that are extremely difficult every night,” Bickerstaff added.
Detroit will return to action on Thursday against the New York Knicks.
2026-02-18 02:31:00
