Rick Mahorn approves of players' hat tips to Bad Boys past

Rick Mahorn was one of the baddest Bad Boys. His endorsement is certainly meaningful.

For press conferences for Reggie Jackson's $80 million contract and Marcus Morris' trade, both players dubbed retro Detroit Bad Boys hats. From a story by Terry Foster in The Detroit News, Mahorn approves.

"It is more of a following that never left," Mahorn said of players and celebrities wearing the Bay Boys gear. "It is a connection with the past with the present."

Andre Drummond has also gotten on board with the growing trend of embracing the team's Bad Boy legacy, using the hashtag #DetroitBadBoys on an Instagram video of him and Stanley Johnson working out.

Big year for both of us!! @3stanimal and I out here working! #DetroitBadBoys Song by: @realchriswebby - Set It Off

A video posted by Andre Drummond (@andredrummondd) on Jul 23, 2015 at 6:06pm PDT

In addition to the Bad Boys references, Detroit vs. Everybody has also increasingly become a mantra for the new squad of Pistons. But Bad Boy James "Buddah" Edwards notes the team still needs to earn it:

"They aren't Bad Boys yet," former Bad Boy James Edwards said, laughing. "But it makes me feel good to see (them honoring us). ... For those few years we ruled the league and we were the toughest team. I am glad those guys are paying respect to us. They are trying to do the same thing in their era."

Whether it was the Bad Boys or the Going to Work Crew, Pistons squads have tended to perform well and endear themselves to fans through toughness and playing with a chip on their shoulder. It's definitely nice to see the players embracing this mentality.