DETROIT – Few people are more worthy than Jerry Stackhouse to have an opinion on the Detroit Pistons bringing back the polarizing teal jerseys, so we asked him to share his honest thoughts.
You can watch the full interview with Stackhouse in the video at the bottom of this page.
Teal uniforms
On Monday, the Pistons announced that they are bringing back the teal jerseys as an alternate this season.
The Pistons wore the teal from 1996 to 2001 and went 54-28 in the first year. Overall, they had three winning seasons in that five-year span, but lost in the first round all three times.
Still, many fans have been calling for the franchise to bring back that unique look. The Pistons officially did so Monday, introducing the teal jerseys as a “classic” that will be used 10 times in the upcoming season.
“I think it’s cool, man,” Stackhouse said Tuesday. “It’s just, obviously, it means a lot to me from the time that I was here. I had some successful years individually, a couple All-Star years there. It kind of has a lot of similarities in the timing of what we were trying to build there and what they’re building now, so it’s good that these young guys, they’re into it.”
The announcement from the Pistons showed this year’s No. 5 overall draft pick, Jaden Ivey, sporting the teal uniform. At only 20 years old, he’s joining a young core made up of Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Duren (the No. 13 overall pick), Isaiah Livers, and Isaiah Stewart.
Allow us to re-introduce some classics. #ReturnOfTheTeal pic.twitter.com/Hb1HOqxUu8
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) July 26, 2022
As the current head basketball coach at Vanderbilt, Stackhouse said he understands the increasing popularity of alternate uniform options.
“I deal with 18- to 20-some-year-olds anyway, so they love the colors, the greens, the pinks, so I think the teal will flow very well with them,” Stackhouse said.
While he likes the teal, Stackhouse wouldn’t pick it over Detroit’s other uniform options.
“Craziest thing about it, man, I liked the maroon,” Stackhouse said. “That was the alternative of the teal. That was one of my favorites. I had I think an ESPN cover in that uniform, and I actually had the 57 (points) in that uniform. But I think between those two, I still think the red, white, and blue. It really symbolized the Pistons. It really symbolized Detroit. But the teal is definitely a fun alternative.”
How teal era laid foundation for 2004 title
Stackhouse first got to the Pistons during the 1997-1998 season, and he said he associates the teal uniforms with that era.
“I was just excited to come to Detroit,” Stackhouse said. “Mid- to late-90s, and I was able to sit in the locker room with Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Grant Long. I took a lot from those guys, just how to be a professional, how to go about your business. I think those same things that I learned from them, I was able to share with other young guys who came through.”
Even though the Pistons didn’t win a title before Stackhouse was traded to the Washington Wizards in the Richard Hamilton deal on Sept. 11, 2002, he felt his teams helped lay the foundation for the team that did cut down the nets two years later.
“I’ve been able to be in the locker room with guys like Michael Curry, Grant Hill, Terry Mills, Lindsay Hunter,” he said. “Those guys took those same things that we learned from those guys and shared it with that next group, and they were ultimately able to win the championship in 2004. So for me, it represents kind of a bridge between the Bad Boys and the championship team of 2004.
“We weren’t fortunate enough to win it. We kind of came through during the Michael Jordan era, so a lot of us fell a little bit short in the championship run, but I think we did lay some foundation pillars that helped ultimately culminate in the 2004 championship, so we feel good about that, feel good about what the teal represented for us, and glad that the fans thought enough about what we did and how we approached things to see it come back at least for 10 games this year.”
This year’s Detroit Pistons
When asked about this year’s Pistons, Stackhouse said he sees talent.
“I think that’s what you have to have to win in this league,” Stackhouse said. “You can have all the great schemes that you want to, but you’ve got to have talent, and I think (general manager) Troy (Weaver) is doing a great job of bringing in talented pieces and trying to see how they fit together.”
Stackhouse was a big fan of the Ivey selection at No. 5 and the decision to trade up to No. 13 overall to select the 18-year-old Duren.
“I love Jaden Ivey,” Stackhouse said. “I love his first step. Cade reminds me a lot of Grant -- being able to make plays, that type of size, can facilitate, can score on his own. Jalen Duren, just saw him at Memphis, being in the state of Tennessee, just his upside and what he’s able to do on the court.”
Fans are excited to see how the young core fits together when the season begins in the fall. But if the Pistons want to be a surprise team in the Eastern Conference, Stackhouse said they’re going to need some help from a new group of veterans.
“Along with the talent that’s already here, whenever you’re thinking about winning, you’ve got to have some veterans, so I liked some of the moves they made, bringing in Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks and guys that come from some winning organizations to help those young guys, and even the older guys -- (Kelly) Olynyk and Corey Joseph,” Stackhouse said. “Those guys have been in Miami, been in San Antonio, been around winning culture, and you don’t just arrive. So they’ve got to show these young guys how to get there.”
