1993–94 Detroit Pistons season

The 1993–94 Detroit Pistons season was the 46th season for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association, and their 37th season in Detroit, Michigan.^[1] In the 1993 NBA draft, the Pistons selected point guard Lindsey Hunter out of Jackson State University with the tenth overall pick, and also selected shooting guard Allan Houston from the University of Tennessee with the eleventh overall pick.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star forward Sean Elliott from the San Antonio Spurs,^[5][6][7] signed free agent Greg Anderson, and hired Don Chaney as their new head coach.^[8] Early into the regular season, the Pistons traded Alvin Robertson, who was out due to a back injury, to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Mark Macon and Marcus Liberty.^[9][10][11]

After only playing just eleven games early into the regular season, Bill Laimbeer retired after an altercation with his teammate Isiah Thomas during a team practice, in which Thomas broke his hand after punching Laimbeer; Laimbeer averaged 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season.^[12][13][14] Under Chaney and with the addition of Elliott, Hunter, Houston and Anderson, the Pistons got off to a 5–4 start to the season, but then struggled and suffered a 14-game losing streak between December and January, and later on held an 11–37 record at the All-Star break.^[15] At mid-season, the team traded Olden Polynice to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Pete Chilcutt,^[16][17][18] and signed free agent Charles Jones. The Pistons lost their final 13 games of the regular season, finishing tied for last place in the Central Division with an awful 20–62 record, their worst record since the 1979–80 season.^[19]

Joe Dumars averaged 20.4 points and 3.8 assists per game, and led the Pistons with 124 three-point field goals, while Terry Mills averaged 17.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and Thomas provided the team with 14.8 points and 6.9 assists per game. In addition, Elliott contributed 12.1 points per game, while Hunter provided with 10.3 points, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and was named the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Houston contributed 8.5 points per game off the bench, Anderson averaged 6.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and Jones provided with 2.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game off the bench in 42 games.^[20]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Hunter was selected for the inaugural NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Phenoms team,^[21][22] while Houston participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[21][23] The Pistons finished fifth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 806,641 at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the regular season.^[20][24]

This season marked an end of an era as Thomas retired, ending his thirteen-year career in the NBA with the Pistons.^[25][26][27] Thomas played in his final game in a 132–104 home loss to the Orlando Magic, at The Palace of Auburn Hills on April 19, 1994, where he ruptured his Achilles tendon, which forced him to retire.^[28][29][30] Also following the season, Elliott was traded back to his former team, the San Antonio Spurs after only one season with the Pistons,^[31][32][33] while Anderson signed with the Atlanta Hawks, Chilcutt signed with the Houston Rockets, and Jones briefly retired.