When Bill Laimbeer slammed Mark Aguirre's pre-Pistons defense: 'When he first got here, he was a horrible defensive player'

Bill Laimbeer was never one to hold back, whether on the court or in interviews. The 6'11" center showcased this trait during a 1989 conversation about his Detroit Pistons teammate, Mark Aguirre.

You might expect Lambs to be more diplomatic when discussing a fellow player; however, he took a different route, bluntly criticizing Aguirre's defensive skills—or lack thereof—before joining the team from "Motor City."

"When he first got here, he was a horrible defensive player, I mean he was bad. He really didn't understand defensive principles," remarked Laimbeer, per the Washington Post.

Tough love

Talking about such uncomfortable truths wasn't entirely unusual within the Pistons organization at that time. Sure, they were known for their "do-whatever-it-takes" mentality, which contributed to their success. However, a key part of that success was being honest with teammates, even when it was tough to hear.

"We have a lot of quality guys—a lot of demanding guys—on this team who will tell you that it's going to be this way, period," explained Bill.

After Aguirre had joined the Pistons midway through the 1988–89 season in a trade involving Adrian Dantley, he had to adapt to this new environment, which probably wasn't smooth sailing.

This rings true when considering his earlier stint with the Dallas Mavericks, which had begun in 1981 as the first overall pick. During the following years, "Ziggy" became a crucial player for the franchise and earned three All-Star selections, thanks to his remarkable scoring ability. However, the small forward was also occasionally viewed as a difficult player to coach and connect with in the locker room.

Aguirre's transformation

Laimbeer's initial comment about Aguirre, who certainly wasn't known for his defensive mastery, might have been a bit too harsh. However, the second part of his statement took a more positive turn.

Bill pointed out that his new teammate eventually "accepted" that things were different with the Detroit franchise, and this realization paid off, especially when considering the defense of the Chicago native.

"Now he's much better at it and he's become a big part of why we're winning the way we are," remarked Laimbeer.

The fact that "Ziggy" adapted his game to become a more versatile, two-way-player was just what the "Bad Boy Pistons" needed, especially since they already had several scorers on the roster like Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Vinnie Johnson.

While this change led to a noticeable drop in Aguirre's playing time, field goal attempts, and scoring average, there was a positive outcome after all: Mark, who stayed with the team until after the 1992-93 season, went on to win two championship titles in Detroit.