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Jan 23, 1999

Detroit Pistons Acquire Christian Laettner in Sign & Trade Deal

On January 22nd, 1999, the Atlanta Hawks signed and traded forward-center Christian Laettner to the Detroit Pistons for center Scot Pollard and a 1999 first round draft pick (Jumaine Jones).

The Atlanta Hawks needed an infusion of talent in their frontcourt, and they got it in the middle of the 1995-96 season with Christian Laettner. A former number three overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, he was traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves with center Sean Rooks for Andrew Lang and Spud Webb. 28-23 at the time of the trade, the Hawks went 18-13 after the Laettner deal, finishing 46-36.

A power forward in his first three and a half seasons in the NBA, Laettner started at center for the rest of the 1995-96 season due to Atlanta’s lack of depth at the five. The former Blue Devil played in 30 games (27 starts) with the Hawks. He posted 14.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.9 BPG in 32.6 MPG.

The sixth seed in the East, the Hawks went on to match up with the Indiana Pacers in the opening round. Indiana came into the series at a disadvantage with All-Star Reggie Miller out indefinitely with a fractured right eye socket.

In the first game, Indiana and Atlanta were tied after the third quarter. The Hawks outscored the Pacers 24-12 in the fourth quarter to take a 1-0 series lead with a 92-80 final score. The Pacers managed to tie the series in Game Two with a 102-94 overtime victory. Game Three was at Atlanta and the Hawks took control. Laettner had 24 points and eight boards in Game Three to help the Hawks win 90-83.

Indiana evened the series with an 83-75 win in Game Four. In that game, the Pacers held Atlanta to 27-for-77 (35.1%) shooting. The fifth and final contest saw Miller make a seemingly heroic return to the court to help Indiana close the series.

The game was close, but the Hawks made timely shots, shooting 9-of-20 from three. Miller missed a three that would’ve tied the game at the buzzer. Atlanta won the game 89-87 and took the series. Laettner was solid, averaging 15.2 PPG on 41.3% shooting, 8.2 RPG and 1.4 BPG during the first round jaunt.

Atlanta went on to face the unenviable task of taking down the 60-22 Orlando Magic in the next series. As the starting center, Laettner was forced to guard Orlando’s behemoth Shaquille O’Neal. Laettner gave up a few inches in height and nearly 100 pounds in that physical matchup. In the series opener, O’Neal and guard Penny Hardaway combined for 73 points as Orlando won 117-105.

Orlando cruised to a 120-94 win in the second contest. Laettner had 26 points in the third game, but it was not enough. All five of the Magic’s starters registered at least 15 points as Orlando took a commanding 3-0 series lead with a 103-96 victory. Staring at a potential four-game sweep, Atlanta scored 44 points in the first quarter. Hawk guard Steve Smith made seven threes and scored 35 points in a 104-99 win against the Magic.

O’Neal dominated with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the fifth game. Orlando won 96-88 and took the series 4-1. Despite the physical disadvantage he experienced in the series, Laettner held his own with 16.2 PPG on 56% from the field, 5.4 RPG and 1.8 APG in 31.4 MPG.

With a legitimate opening at the center position, the Hawks went free agent shopping in the 1996 offseason. To create cap space, the Hawks dealt starters Grant Long and Stacey Augmon to the Detroit Pistons. That move helped the Hawks sign premier center Dikembe Mutombo to a five-year, $55 million deal.

With the addition of Mutombo, the Hawks had a nice nucleus with the All-Star center teaming with Mookie Blaylock, Steve Smith and Laettner. Atlanta got off to a decent 8-6 start during the 1996-97 season. A 10-game winning streak in January helped the club climb to 26-11. The solid start helped the Hawks reach a record of 56-26, allowing them to finish fourth in the East. Laettner made his first and only All-Star appearance that season. The big man managed 18.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.2 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 38.3 MPG and 82 appearances.

The Detroit Pistons and Grant Hill were the opposition in the first round for Atlanta. Mutombo led the Hawks with 26 points and 15 rebounds in the series opener. The Hawks won that game 89-75. The second outing saw Detroit use a 29-15 advantage in the final quarter to win 93-80.

The Pistons took a 2-1 series lead after leading by as much as 16 points in the first half. Detroit never trailed in the second half as they held on for a 99-91 edge. Facing elimination, the Hawks got 28 points from Smith and led by as much as 20 points in a 94-82 victory.

All the chips were down for the fifth and final game. Smith nailed a three-pointer with 41 seconds left that gave Atlanta a five-point lead. Pistons forward Otis Thorpe scored a bucket on a dunk, and Blaylock turned the ball over for the Hawks.

Detroit had a chance to tie the game, but Pistons forward Terry Mills missed a three with six seconds left that gave Atlanta the series win. In the five games, Laettner was productive. He put up 19.0 PPG on 45% shooting, 7.2 RPG and 2.6 APG in 40.3 MPG.

The Hawks battled the defending champion Chicago Bulls in the next round. Atlanta surprised the Bulls early, building a 55-39 lead by the early stages of the third quarter of Game One. Chicago turned it around, going on a 38-15 run over the final 10:23 of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, a three-point shot by Scottie Pippen broke an even game with 43 seconds left. Chicago went on to win 100-97.

In Game Two, Atlanta got off to another good start. They built a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter, and survived a Bulls rally this time, winning 103-95. In Game Three, Chicago held the Hawks to just 19 points over the final 16 minutes and seven seconds of the game. Chicago took a 2-1 series lead with a 100-80 win.

Game Four was a breeze for Chicago on the road. The Bulls led by as much as 24 points and held on for an 89-80 advantage. The Bulls had full control and took care of business, winning 107-92 in Game Five and captured the series 4-1. Laettner did not have a good series. He put up 16.2 PPG on 35.6% from the field, 7.2 RPG and 2.6 APG in 40.2 MPG.

After Laettner’s All-Star season, the Hawks were interested in committing to him with a contract extension. The offer from Atlanta was a six-year, $51 million contract extension. Laettner decided against the extension. He was willing to gamble on himself for a max payout as a free agent in 1998.

The Hawks kept their core together. They got off to a strong start, beginning the season 11-0 and winning 15 of their first 17 games. The Hawks were up and down throughout the 1997-98 season. They began 19-5, but dropped seven consecutive games. Then they won six in a row before going on a five-game slide.

Laettner struggled for stretches of the season, losing playing time to backup Alan Henderson. When Laettner missed four games with the flu in February, Henderson stepped up in his absence and elevated his play. Henderson averaged 20.3 PPG and 9.5 RPG in those four contests. Coach Lenny Wilkens permanently kept Henderson as a starter at power forward after Laettner’s return. The Hawks mulled trade offers for Laettner at the 1998 trade deadline, but decided to keep the veteran.

The ‘97-‘98 season was a step back for Laettner. He averaged career-lows across the board with 13.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 2.3 APG along with 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG in 74 games (49 starts) and 30.8 MPG. Atlanta finished the season 50-32.

The Hawks advanced to the postseason and battled the Charlotte Hornets in the first round. Charlotte Hornets All-Star Glen Rice tallied 34 points in a 97-87 Charlotte win. Rice and his cohort Anthony Mason teamed up for 49 points in the second game as Charlotte won by seven points. Facing a potential sweep, Atlanta held the Hornets to 64 points and won by a margin of 32.

The fourth game of the first round matchup would be the end of Atlanta’s season. The Hawks scored just eight points in the final seven minutes and five seconds of game action. The Hornets took control late and won 91-82. They took the series in four games. Laettner struggled in the first round series, averaging just 9.8 PPG on 34.3% from the field and 4.3 RPG in 22.0 MPG.

Before the 1998 offseason could fully get underway, the league had a lockout as owners and players battled for a new collective bargaining agreement. During the extended offseason from the lockout, Laettner ruptured his achilles tendon while playing a pickup game at his alma mater, Duke University. The achilles injury damaged Laettner’s negotiating ability heading into free agency after the lockout’s end. Atlanta signed Laettner to a three-year, $18 million contract and subsequently traded him to the Detroit Pistons for little-used rookie Scot Pollard and a lottery-protected first round pick (originally owned by the Portland Trail Blazers) in the 1999 draft.

In two and a half seasons with the Hawks, Laettner amassed 15.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.9 BPG in 186 games with the club. The All-Star shot 49% on field goals, 30% on threes and 83% from the charity stripe.

Scot Pollard was originally taken 17th in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. A center from Kansas, Pollard had been a solid defender and rebounder in college for the Jayhawks. He also was quite the eccentric personality. Coming into the NBA, Pollard was not a regular part of the team’s rotation as he was stuck behind Brian Williams (later known as Bison Dele), Theo Ratliff and later Eric Montross. Pollard appeared in 33 games, averaging 2.7 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 9.6 MPG.

Detroit began Pollard’s rookie season 2-0, but they lost the next five games. The Pistons could never get recover fully and get above .500. In late December, they shook up the roster by trading Aaron McKie and Ratliff to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jerry Stackhouse and Montross.

Still, Detroit continued to have an inconsistent year. With the team at 21-24, they fired head coach Doug Collins and named his assistant Alvin Gentry as his interim replacement. It turned out to be a lost season for Detroit who finished out of the playoff picture with a 37-45 record.

Once the NBA lockout came and went, the Pistons were looking to find a power forward that could spread the floor around Grant Hill. They flirted with Phoenix Suns forward Clifford Robinson before Robinson chose to re-sign with Phoenix. Detroit settled on Laettner and Loy Vaught. Laettner was acquired via a sign-and-trade agreement.

The Hawks gained a $4.4 million trade exception in the Laettner deal. They waived Scot Pollard before he ever played a game with them. Pollard cleared waivers and signed with the Sacramento Kings for the rest of the 1998-99 season.

The draft pick that Detroit sent to Atlanta in the deal had originally been owned by the Portland Trail Blazers who traded the pick to Detroit on the same day in a deal for rookie Bonzi Wells. The Hawks drafted forward Jumaine Jones with the 27th pick in the draft, and dealt Jones on draft night to the Philadelphia 76ers for a future first rounder.

Laettner took some time to recover from his achilles injury after the trade. He missed the first 22 games of the season before returning. Laettner missed some time with a fractured rib as well. He also caused some commotion when he got into a fist-fight with teammate Jerry Stackhouse on a flight over a card game.

The Pistons had an up and down season. They had four winning streaks of at least three games and four losing streaks that reached at least three games as well. After 43 games, the Pistons had a 23-20 record. Detroit went 6-1 in their final seven games to take the fifth seed with a 29-21 record. Laettner played in 16 games with the Pistons and composed 7.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 21.1 MPG.

Laettner faced his old team, the Hawks in the 1999 postseason. In the series opener, Atlanta led by as much as 22 points in a 90-70 win. Detroit continued to struggle in Game Two, shooting 28-for-72 (38.9% shooting) in an 89-69 defeat. Facing a potential sweep, Laettner led the team in scoring with 15 points as Detroit held Atlanta to just 63 points in a 16-point win. The fourth game saw Grant Hill total 23 points, six rebounds and nine assists in a 103-82 rout for the Pistons.

In the last game of the series, Grant Long had 26 points as Atlanta eliminated Detroit with an 87-75 win. Laettner finished the series with averages of 10.2 PPG on 42.6% shooting, 2.8 RPG and 2.2 APG in 24.5 MPG.

After the season, Joe Dumars and Bison Dele retired. Detroit signed former Pistons role players Terry Mills and Michael Curry to bolster their rotation. To begin the 1999-00 season, Detroit lost their first four games. Throughout the season, Detroit would hover around .500. After a three-game losing streak that put the team at 28-30, coach Alvin Gentry was fired and replaced by assistant George Irvine.

Under Irvine, Detroit played slightly better, going 14-10 in their final 24 games. The Pistons had a 42-40 record and qualified for the seventh seed in the East. Laettner was forced to start at center due to Detroit’s overall lack of size on the roster. Detroit ran a unique offense with their two wing stars Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse able to isolate and post-up while Laettner and Terry Mills started at the center and power forward respectively and spent a lot of time out on the perimeter, spacing the floor.

Though Laettner was effective on the offensive end, he was limited at the center position on defense. Laettner was not fleet of foot and he was limited as a rim protector. It showed in Detroit’s fourth-rated offense and 21st-ranked defense. Overall, Laettner started in all 82 games and posted 12.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.5 BPG in 29.8 MPG.

Detroit went into the playoffs with major issues. Hill had dealt with ankle problems late in the season and missed the final two and a half games of the season. Hill’s ankle issues would be a major story for the postseason. He had just 13 points in Game One as Miami pulled away late in the series opener to win 95-85. The second game was close.

Hill gave it another go, but was unable to play after he exited midway through the third quarter. Detroit kept within striking distance after a Jerome Williams layup with 58 seconds left tied the game. Jamal Mashburn made a key shot in the paint with six seconds left to give Miami an 84-82 lead. Stackhouse turned the ball over on the final possession as Miami took a 2-0 series lead. Hill was announced as out for the rest of the series after Game Two with a fractured ankle.

With Hill out for the third game, Stackhouse had 25 points but shot just 7-for-21. Heat reserve Clarence Weatherspoon registered 18 points and 10 rebounds as Miami completed the three-game sweep with a 91-72 victory in Detroit. Laettner played in the three-game series and did not play well. He compiled 6.7 PPG on 41.2% from the field, 5.0 RPG and 2.0 APG in 25.1 MPG.

After the season, the Pistons undertook a massive rebuild. Grant Hill left the team and was signed-and-traded to the Orlando Magic. Detroit nearly dealt Laettner to the Los Angeles Lakers in a massive four-team, 13-player trade. After the deal fell through, they traded Laettner to the Dallas Mavericks in a five-player deal. Laettner finished up his run in Detroit with a stat line of 11.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 98 career games. He shot 46% from the field and 81% from the free-throw line in that time.

Christian Laettner on why the trade from Atlanta happened (via the Detroit Free Press):

“I am not sure. I have heard a lot of excuses.”

How his outspokenness might’ve contributed to his exit:

“You need a platform for people to get along. You need a certain environment where it’s all right for people to get on each other and be tough with each other.

“I am sure I opened my mouth one or two times and people didn’t like it. That might have gotten me into trouble. The same thing happened in Minnesota (where he played from 1992-1995). I have to be careful... “I really hope this is the type of team (in Detroit) that will take that kind of energy and use it the right way and not let it rip a team apart.”

On rumors that he lost passion for the game after the birth of his daughter:

“I am not the type of person who can turn down his aggressiveness or intensity. I don’t know how anybody could come up with that.”

How people were looking for excuses for the Hawks struggles the previous season:

“What happened was, we started out 11-0. Then, by mid-December we weren’t 11-0 anymore and people started trying to figure out why we weren’t as good. They started looking at stats: ‘Hmm, Steve Smith’s stats are the same, Dikembe Mutombo’s are the same, Mookie’s are the same hey, Laettner is averaging two points less. He's the problem.’ People looked for excuses and I was the excuse.”

On being a leader for the team

“I don’t want anybody to think that I am thinking I am just going to come in here and be the leader. That’s not the way it works. You have to earn that. You have to get that from your teammates. Overall, coaches have to set the right arena for players to be tough on each other. Coaches can’t just say, ‘Everybody get along and don’t rock the boat.’ If somebody is not playing well or putting forth the effort, that’s when players have to be able to be tough on each other.”

On Grant Hill:

“He’s from where I am from and I have much love for him. We talked a few times in June or July and he said [the Pistons] might be interested in me. I told him it would be too much fun to play with him again.”

Atlanta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock on the trade (via AP):

“It was in everybody’s best interest to allow this happen. This way [Laettner] gets the contract he wanted.”

Detroit Pistons general manager Rick Sund on all the moves the team has made including trading for Laettner (via the Detroit Free Press):

“One of our goals was to get outside shooting at the four (power forward) spot, and I think we’ve done that. Both these guys are a tremendous asset because of that. It was something that we desperately needed. I’ve always said that guys between the ages of 28 and 33 are in their peak years. Now we’ve got Jerry Stackhouse, who’s 23 (actually 24); Grant Hill, who’s 26; Loy [Vaught], who’s 30 going on 31, and Christian, who’s ready for prime time.”

Pistons forward and Laettner’s former college teammate at Duke Grant Hill on the addition of Laettner (via AP):

“It’s a good sign that he’s here. I like the fact that he’s here for a few more years. This gives us a good mix of players all in their prime. Christian is really, really competitive.”

Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo on Christian Laettner after Laettner’s comments that he was traded because he was too outspoken (via The Atlanta Constitution):

“Sometimes he wouldn’t speak to us for two, three days. He would practice and leave and he wouldn’t even shower.”

Hawks guard Steve Smith after Laettner’s comments that he was traded because he was too outspoken (via The Atlanta Constitution):

“The problem was he wouldn’t talk to anybody... I wish him the best of luck.”

Laettner’s agent Lon Babby on Laettner’s achilles injury and when he could return (via AP):

“But we won’t know for sure until we get closer to it. It’s in no one’s interest the Pistons or Christian's to rush it.”

Image via Getty Images/Tom Pidgeon/Allsport

#Scot Pollard #christian laettner #Jumaine Jones #1999 #1998*99 Season #Hawks #Pistons

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