Jack McCloskey, who served as Detroit Pistons general manager from 1979 to 1992 and helped build the Bad Boys teams who delivered two NBA championships, died today at 91.
McCloskey, known as “Trader Jack” for his aggressive and successful trades on behalf of the Pistons, made nine straight playoffs seasons from 1984-92. His name was “retired” with a banner raised at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2008.
Simply put, without McCloskey there would be no Bad Boys. Trader Jack made moves to acquire Bill Laimbeer from Cleveland, Rick Mahorn from the Bullets, James Edwards from Phoenix, Vinnie Johnson from Seattle and Mark Aguirre from Dallas.