Joe Dumars Quotations

We've been able to negotiate with guys because they understand this is something special and they want to be a part of it. Maybe they could squeeze a few dollars more out of somebody else, but they realize that the few extra dollars they may get won't trump what's going on here.

We have not agreed to anything with Larry and there is no buyout yet. Both sides are still talking.

We have no plans to do anything with Derrick at the moment.

We have put ourselves in a position to re-sign both Ben (this summer) and Chauncey (in the summer of 2007), and we are getting a pretty good draft pick to fill in with another young guy in the next year or two. I am very satisfied with how this turned out.

We're sitting here with 107 consecutive sellouts because we win. My personal belief is that winning supersedes everything.

Maurice is the kind of player we think is going to fit in with our team and our culture. Maurice brings a really strong competitive streak with him and can play two positions for us.

I am looking forward to our continued success and the opportunity to bring another championship to the Detroit Pistons.

For those who forgot, he didn't come to a lottery team, ... He came to a world championship team. And most rookies are not going to come to a world championship team and break into the lineup, break into the rotation, and play.

His wisecrack was, ?OK, I guess you were pretty good.

He's been a valuable member of our team both on and off the floor in each of his first three years, ... I'm pleased that he will continue to wear a Pistons' uniform through the 2010-11 season.

We look forward to seeing his continued growth as a player. Darko was able to play a lot of minutes during summer league this July, and we are happy that he is on Serbia-Montenegro's roster during the European Championships this September.

I think it has been a great experience for Darko to get a chance to play and be around his national team. He really needed this summer.

I think it is an awesome feat what Kobe did the other night, and I tip my hat to him. The one word that comes to mind when I think about what he accomplished is SPECIAL.

I think we will get something done long-term. We are going to keep him here. Tay wants that, I want that and Duffy wants that. We'll get something done.

I saw a guy who persevered when many would've crumbled. Chauncey never blamed anyone else for his situation, and I loved his disposition, the fact he never brought attention to himself.

Our guys just need to focus on the game and who they are playing against. Flip Saunders and I will make sure our guys know that we just want them to concentrate on the game and nothing else.

Lindsey is a unique situation. He knows what we need from him and when we need it. We're not trying to win the preseason world championship. This is the time for him to get healthy and we're more than happy to use this time for that.

I think he's in a position where he would feel like he has something to prove.

I think he's special because he has a gift to understand the game and the talent to back it up. He sees the floor, he gets everybody else involved and he plays to win.

I would just like to thank the coaches in the league for recognizing our players. What the coaches are saying by voting our guys on is that they appreciate unselfishness, great attitudes and team basketball.

We just want to see where he's at.

Who are we going to get that, if something does happen to Chauncey, is going to lead us to a championship? You're up the creek without a paddle anyway.

We have always respected the Heat and we know they are a very good team.

We needed someone who can play those two positions. If that had been a pure shooter, great, but we just needed someone to play that spot. We need players on our team to step up and make shots.

We are looking for a guy with some experience who can step in and not be overwhelmed by being on the floor with our guys. We are looking for a guy who can shoot the ball and has some mental toughness.

When you are a kid you look up to the guys in front of you. You don't get to this place in life with only one or two people helping you. I thank my parents for raising me in the manner they did and all the other people along the way.

When you are a kid, all you do is look up to the guys in front of you. I wanted to go out and be those guys. I don't think any of us in here can go back and think of a day like this.

The fact that these kids are from my hometown makes this especially fun for me. They're a scrappy team and they made a promise that they would represent.

We like the fact that he is young, athletic and ready to step on the floor and help us immediately.

We think Tony will be a nice addition to our team as we move toward the end of the season. He brings veteran experience and will give us quality depth at both guard positions.

When you have a team like we have right now, it's very important the person that you're handing the team over to is qualified and is going to have your respect from day one. I'm very comfortable, Mr. D (owner William Davidson) is very comfortable, we're all very, very comfortable handing the keys to this team over to Flip. We know he's up for the challenge.

We loved his talent when we drafted him, but it didn't work out here in Detroit.

We are excited to add Dale Davis to our roster for the upcoming season, ... Dale is a veteran presence that has proven himself in the regular season and playoffs. His defensive presence and rebounding will help solidify our bench while his experience will provide added value in our locker room.

We will be in the market to add depth at the point guard position. If we can't, we still have four guys who can handle the backup point guard position.

To have your body of work honored in this manner is the ultimate in any profession. I was blessed to play with some great players and for a tremendous organization.

We wish him the best and good health going forward.

We feel like this is a good trade for our team and gives our organization flexibility as we move forward this season and in the future.

Every hole on your team cannot be addressed by just going out and acquiring. You have to have some internal growth, too. That has to be a part of it. We have some good, young players on our roster. You have to let your young guys grow.

Flip has given him a freedom to play to his talent.

Everything is definitely quiet on this end. We haven't spoken to anybody.

It was the same in the regular season. When you win 64 games, that means you're taking care of business.

The team we ultimately turned into had a great impact on his situation. If we don't turn into the team we've turned into over the past 2 1/2 years, I guarantee his situation would be a lot different and he'd probably still be here.

Of course we would want him back. Larry knows that.

That's what we all have to live with, because we've set a very high standard here. We've been at least to the conference finals three straight years and we've been a 50-win team four years in a row.

You're going to always deal with tough coaches, ... But a lot of the time you're playing as you're dealing with them. And so it's easier to deal with it. The tough part is when you're not playing. That was his biggest hurdle.

This is some great competition. There's a high level of college basketball here, so it's a great game for me to come and see.

They understand going out and scoring 30 points and losing games, that's just... You've got to get in a long line of people who've done that. But there's a very short line of people who have actually won.

A lot of people get caught up in the hype of playing a big-time team. The name on the front of the jersey doesn't matter. Take that jersey off, and he's a human being just like you.

They have been playing well and will undoubtedly be in the mix when it's all said and done.

You don't get an overabundance of calls from people who are looking to make these great deals with you.

I told him I'm gonna call him out so bad. On the phone conversation I had with him, when I saw him, he's extremely happy. I'm blowing his cover and letting you know, he's extremely happy to be on the team.

It really is like a parent, watching your kids grow into something. And these guys have grown into something special in the last two or three years here. Being a parent, I understand how that feels. And they're all happy about it.

It's not like he knew this two months ago and just waited.

It's always cool to be a part of anything that hasn't happened before. This is a great sports town, and the fans around here are about to really have some fun following both teams.

It's always cool to be a part of anything that hasn't happened before.

I'm not really overwhelmed by much, but that was pretty overwhelming. To get that phone call, it was a pretty awesome to hear those words.

I never even thought about the Hall of Fame as a player. Really, all I thought about was trying to play to a bar that players before me had set.

I'm not surprised at all with our guys. This is one of the few teams you're going to find capable to do that.

I'll stop short of talking in terms of a sweep. But I will say this. This group does have more of a sense of urgency about dealing with a team in a series. We do have that sense of urgency about taking care of business.

I really like the fact that Maurice is young, athletic and very competitive when he's on the floor. We feel that he will fit right in with the rest of our guys, on and off the court. And getting the right fit is very important to us.

He's proven in this league, and he's been in big games as a guy who has won 50-plus games for years,

He's looking good and playing well. It was just a chance to get to see him play before training camp starts.

I don't think there's a point guard in the NBA playing better than him right now. He has a control of the position that has him playing on a different level.

I could hear him before the game one time. All I know is that there was a lot of talking going on early, like in the first two or three minutes.

He realized he had a great thing; he didn't try to come in and reinvent the wheel.

The one thing that I really want, ... is for our second group to be an energy unit. That's what we had in our championship run, and that's what I think you are starting to see with this group.

We have very smart players and they've been fortunate to play for three very good coaches.

Everyone is more focused on presenting the best that the league has to offer, rather than the worst.

I think the (brawl) made the league and the players more conscious of our responsibility to the public.

I didn't so much think I needed to address the shooting need. What we needed was somebody who could come in and play the two-three (shooting guard-small forward) spot. If he could've been a pure shooter, great. But if not, we still needed somebody to give us minutes there. I like the guys we've got.

We can talk about the value of sportsmanship on one hand, and on the other hand, the leading shots, highlights ... you see every night are the outrageous and unsportsmanlike, so I think there is a double standard here. On the one hand, we complain about it, on the other hand it's the first thing you see every night.

You lose that sacred-cow status when you lose three straight years.

Any coach worth his salt will take a look at that and say, 'I'll take my chances with that'

On good teams coaches hold players accountable, on great teams players hold players accountable

The ultimate team player. Chauncey represents everything David Stern wants in this league.

All we did was guide him here, put him in a great environment and surround him with a great culture. He did the rest.