Detroit Bad Boys celebrates the arrival of a New Year by waving goodbye to one of its most successful years in its existence. Nearly 1,000 posts from a double-digit number of contributors that led to millions of page views, plenty of tweets, thousands of LIKEs on Facebook and countless comments from the priceless inimitable community that truly drives this site. I think I am at liberty to speak for the entire masthead when I say thank you to everyone who has been a part of DBB over the past year and the years before it.
2014 wasn't a great year for the Pistons in the most important respects, but it was still a great year for us here. Here are some of the better and/or bigger front-page links we've made live over the past 12 months. Please share in the comments any other favorites that I may have missed.
Happy New Year!
Jan. 7th - Smith airs game winner vs. Knicks
There was a post about it, but SI.com took down the video. It's ok, we have it in GIF form.
Jan. 15th - The Andre and Dwight debate!
Andre beasted as a rookie. After two months into his sophomore year, Ken investigates the comparisons of Andre Drummond and Dwight Howard.
Jan. 21st - Ben opens our eyes
In a beast of an article, Gulker shows that Dumars and his team are not taking advantage of advanced statistics. It will also make you questions some of your own thoughts/decisions.
Jan. 22nd - Sean explores Smith's 3-point shooting
Smith has never been a good shooter from distance, but Sean wondered if Josh Smith would have the worst 3-point shooting season ever. He did.
Jan. 23rd - Gulker examines mid-range jump shots
Having a player who took too many at a bad clip, and another who doesn't take many (but at a bad clip), Gulker looks to see if teams actually need mid-range jump shots.
Jan. 29th - Pistons vs. Hawks game postponed due to ice
The south does not get a lot of snow. Some years it does not get any. But on this day, it was enough to delay the Pistons flight and postpone the game.
Jan. 30th - Can Brandon's shot be fixed?
Brandon Jennings has never been great at making jumpers. David Nurse lends his expertise to explain how Brandon Jennings could fix his jumper.
Feb. 5th - Will Bynum, Maurice Cheeks feud
Four days later ...
Feb. 9th - Maurice Cheeks fired
The link is the StoryStream of our coverage in which Sean revealed himself to be mostly machine.
Feb. 9th - Joe Dumars is a lame duck GM of a lame duck franchise
This was one of Sean's finer posts in response to the Cheeks firing. Sean goes all the way on Joe Dumars' half measure.
Feb. 11th - Rasheed Wallace gets a promotion
In addition to a title bump, Wallace also received a new assigned seat in the front row, putting him in prime position to continue his life's mission of reminding the league's whistleblowers of the ball's high regard for the truth.
Feb. 14th - Who is on your Detroit Pistons Mount Rushmore?
Birdman84 said seriously in the comments Josh Smith, Allen Iverson, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon! He was being 100 percent serious! Throw Mt. Rushmore stones at him!
Feb. 15th - Andre Drummond wins Rising Stars Challenge MVP
Should've been in the All Star Game.
Feb. 15th - Andre Drummond's Rising Stars Challenge MVP trophy breaks
All Star Game trophies don't break!
Feb. 16th - Charles Barkley, smart guy, calls Pistons idiots
Feb. 17th - When Brandon Jennings can't make, Pistons can't win
Almost always, says Rev.
Feb. 27th - Manu Ginobili's shoe explodes vs. Pistons
Something you don't see every year.
March 1st - Pistons historically awful in 4th quarters
As J Dre said in the comments, Josh Smith was helping us break all sorts of records!
March 3rd - Phil Jackson rumors
Phew, right?
March 12th - Tank watch!
These were fun if not depressing updates.
GREG MONROE RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY STORYSTREAM
A lot of great stuff in here, including Rev's 'Moose Hunting series
March 28th - Bad Boys vs. Goin' to Work
Who wins?
April 6th - Key moment in franchise history!
Pistons mathematically eliminated from the 2013-2014 playoffs.
April 14th - Joe Dumars steps down
He gone after 14 years. (Still not entirely sure why he "stepped down" three days before the season ended.)
April 16th - Sean says it was all on Tom Gores
How did he do?
April 17th - The list of names to potentially replace Joe Dumars
Stan Van Gundy was an afterthought... even after Kevin Sawyer.
April 17th - Josh Smith the source of on-court, locker room problems
The Sean Corp post SVG should've read before wasting all that time watching every Josh Smith play of the 2013-2014 season.
April 17th - Bad Boys 30 for 30!
The best part of the season, a day after the season.
May 5th - Andre Drummond dunk supercut
May 12th - Drummond and Monroe form NBA's best young front-court duo
Even without proper spacing around them, even in their first full seasons in new roles, even going through two new coaches, the two still made a strong argument for the best young frontcourt in the league.
May 12th - All of the Drummond highlights
MOAR
May 12th - 2013-2014 Player Grades
All of the DBB player grades in one StoryStream.
May 14th - What to expect from Stan Van Gundy
Disappointing returns at first, but the corner's being turned into 2015.
May 15th - Does SVG's arrival signal something deeper for Detroit?
Opportunity. Success. It's starting to show... Bring all of the 2015 free agents to us!
May 16th - Isiah Thomas to get ownership stake
Arguably the least desirable, under-the-radar news of the year.
May 19th - Everything wrong with the Pistons in 5 charts
This has led to increased wanking off.
May 21st - Joe Dumars' 'not disastrous' parting gift
Pistons lost their 1st round draft pick due to ill-advised Ben Gordon trade.
May 30th - Rasheed Wallace not retained
RAGE
June 3rd - Brandon Jennings offered Nick Young something
Sweatin' swag.
June 3rd - Jeff Bower hired as GM
"You'll get your name in press releases and you'll do interviews and stuff, but I make all the decisions." - SVG
June 5th - Josh Smith is dying to be coached
Josh Smith's game died.
June 24 - Andre Drummond joins Jordan Brand
Star status confirmed.
June 27 - Pistons draft Spencer Dinwiddie
Dinwiddie chose Colorado over Harvard. (He's now in the D-League, in case you didn't know.)
July 2nd - Jodie Meeks signs 3-year deal
SVG's first signing.
July 2nd - Cartier Martin signs deal
Oh.
July 7th - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's rise in Summer League
Mike Payne's coverage for the second year in a row was incredible.
July 7th - MFMP's coverage of Summer League
DBB's very lucky to have TheCoolist.
July 14th - Andre Drummond joins Team USA
July 17th - Josh Smith trade rumors
We wish it would've come to fruition.
July 21st - Andre Drummond in 'Why NBA players shouldn't bowl'
Whimsy.
July 24th - DBB (finally) starts a podcast!
Aug. 4th - Brandon Jennings analysis
Analysis of analysis. A lot of it.
Aug. 14th - Pistons 2014-2015 schedule
82-0.
Sept. 3rd - Otis Smith named Grand Rapids head coach
Sept. 5th - DBBer basketball profiles
Fun FanPost by Ben Q. What would your Draft Express page look like? I'm best case scenario 40-year-old Jason 'White Chocolate' Williams, worst case not picked in a LA Fitness pick-up game of 11.
Sept. 8th - Greg Monroe signs qualifying offer
Sept. 9th - Chauncey Billups retires
Mr. Big Shot retires after 17 years in the pros.
Sept. 19th - Detroit Pistons 2014-2015 roster preview
What about Will Bynum?
Sept. 29th - SVG must be the team's leader
Sept. 30th - Drummond says he's absolutely the leader of the team
Oct. 1st - Detroit Pistons 2013-2014 season preview
Oct. 17th - Josh Smith says he's understands to shoot fewer threes
But should he?
Oct. 17th - Will Bynum traded to Celtics for Joel Anthony
He always deserved better than the Pistons. So he wound up with Guangdong.
Oct. 27th - Preseason power rankings
So much hope.
Oct. 27th - Air Jordan Sneakerhead
Shoes matter, Ginobili.
Oct. 29th - The Detroit Pistons pump-up workout
You'll get fatter without Josh Smith.
Oct. 30th - Kenneth Fraid says Josh Smith shot Pistons out of the game
And so the season began.
Oct. 30th - Josh Smith called Kenneth Faried a clown
And he also said his last words to Cartier Martin.
Nov. 13th - What is (was) wrong with Andre Drummond?
He's back.
Nov. 19th - 10 year anniversary of Malice at The Palace
Sean would rather not talk about it.
Nov. 20th - Markieff Morris claims KCP doesn't have any heart.
Taken to heart.
Dec. 5th - Happy Birthday, Josh Smith
Hope your cake sucks.
Dec. 8th - Andre Drummond apologizes for driving fast, SnapChatting
Dec. 13th - KCP shows heart vs. Markieff Morris, Suns
Pulse proven. 13-game losing streak dead.
Dec. 15th - Did Josh Smith get another coach fired?
Does a Josh Smith long two clank in the woods?
Dec. 17th - Old dirt: Joe Dumars fined $500k for leaking #Wojbombs to #Wojbomb
Dec. 20th - Andre Drummond vs. James Johnson
Did you know James Johnson is a black belt?
Dec. 22nd - JOSH SMITH WAIVED
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All of DBB's 'Josh Smith is done in Detroit' coverage at the link above.
Dec. 24th - Anthony Tolliver acquired for Tony Mitchell
Stocking stuffer.
Dec. 29th - Can the Pistons finish like the 2013-2014 Raptors?
Are the playoffs in reach?
Dec. 30th - Pistons hit franchise record 17 threes
Dec. 30th - Jodie Meeks hits career high nine threes, one off Joe Dumars' single-game record
I think we're going to like 2015 ...
***
PS (not wealthy industrialist -PS-): I wanted to highlight the best comments throughout the year, too, but I quickly realized that was going to be a tireless task. There's simply far too many great comments on a day-to-day basis. More times than not, there's at least one truly great 10-plus rec'd comment in every thread. Instead, I leave it to you to share your favorites -- where else? -- in the comments.
Here's to a happy 2015 full of threes, dunks, wins, Moose and this...