The Pistons are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Red Wings have rallied to put themselves back into playoff contention. And the madness of March is almost upon us.
Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to discuss all of that and more from the world of sports.
Doug Tribou: The Pistons have won eight in a row. They currently have 33 wins on the season. That’s notable because 33 wins is more wins than Detroit had in the past two seasons combined. According to the statisticians here at the Michigan Public sports bureau, 14 wins plus 17 wins equals 31, which is less than 33. What do you make of the work head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has done in his first season with the team?
John U. Bacon: Well, first of all hats off to the Michigan Public Sports Bureau. You know a whole phalanx of people working very hard all night really for data like that for our listeners. That's great.
But as far as Bickerstaff goes, look, if he is not the NBA coach of the year then throw the trophy out. They did not add really anybody of note from last year to this year, and they're playing infinitely better. It's Cade Cunningham's fourth season. He's their top player. They've gone from 30th on defense, which is almost dead last, to 12th. And agents, by the way, who have these players, they don't like defense. So the coaches have got to make them play defense against the agents' wishes. What happens is the agents know that their clients get paid for scoring points. No one gets paid to play defense because it's very hard to chart. So the job that Bickerstaff has done is simply phenomenal.
"If he is not the NBA coach of the year then throw the trophy out."John U. Bacon on Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the team's turnaround this season
The Red Wings lost badly on Thursday night — 5-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets — but they’ve still made a remarkable turnaround since changing coaches mid-season. But now fans are back in the same sort of nail-biting mode they went through last year when the Wings missed the playoffs at the last possible moment on a tiebreaker at the end of the season. What are the keys for them to finish strong in the final 20-plus games?
JUB: The biggest key, Doug, is to not bring back the coach you just fired.
DT: [Laughs.] Seems unlikely.
JUB: [Laughs] It seems very unlikely. I think you're right. So they're playing great. Just stay out of their way.
DT: Dusty May is still in his first season as the head coach of the Michigan men’s basketball team, but U of M Athletic Director Warde Manual has seen enough to want to keep him longer. May’s getting a contract extension that lasts into 2030. His current salary is $3.75 million dollars a year, and he would see a significant raise under the new deal. Is this the right time and the right move?
JUB: Well, it has to be Doug, because Indiana just fired their basketball coach. Dusty May was the former equipment manager at Indiana under [legendary head coach] Bob Knight years ago. And so they all thought, you know, when mama comes calling, you got to go back. He was therefore a target of Indiana, so Warde Manuel had to do this.
You got to like a world, Doug, where you're a [Division-I] men's basketball coach and a few rumors from your alma mater gets you $1 million more a season for doing nothing. That is good work if you can get it. [Laughs]
DT: And May and the Wolverines are ranked 15th in the country and they’re jockeying with Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans in the race for a Big Ten Conference championship. MSU is ranked 8th in the nation. Do both teams feel built for a strong NCAA tournament showing?
JUB: Possibly. Both teams can be very good at times and neither team is great. Michigan State's weakness this season has been shooting. Michigan's has been turnovers. So either team can go on a good long run, but either team could get knocked out early. We shall see.
DT: John, since we last spoke, Michigan women’s basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico passed a major milestone. She now has more career victories at Michigan than any other basketball coach in Wolverines’ history, male or female. Can you put that accomplishment into some context for us?
JUB: Between the men's and women's programs they have had at Michigan 160 seasons, and she is the most winning coach of all time. She is by far the best women's coach Michigan has ever had. And let me add, as an aside, because I've taught a lot of her athletes in my class [at U of M], they have been first-rate students. So it's a great program top to bottom. And she deserves all the credit.
DT: And she passed former U of M men’s coach John Beilein, who has 278 wins.
John, thanks a lot. Have a good weekend.
JUB: Doug, thank you.
Editor's notes: Some quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.
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