A few years ago, former Detroit Free Press Pistons beat writer Vince Ellis wrote the Pistons were planning a statue of Bad Boy Hall of Fame guard Isiah Thomas to be displayed in Little Caesars Arena. My folks inside the LCA say those plans have been scrapped. That’s a shame.

The biggest obstacle is the LCA is a hockey arena. It belongs to the Red Wings, and the Pistons are simply tenants. There is no desire to build Pistons tributes in the building. There are statues of Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Alex Delvecchio. No Pistons are among the tributes. I am also told the only way Isiah Thomas gets a statue is if the public raises a stink. Just call me the first stinker. Let’s get this done.

THE RED WINGS ARE NOT DONE

Panic over the Detroit Red Wings twin losses to Ottawa are being blown out of proportion. The games were ugly, and the Red Wings showed little fight. But they were 7-3 in their previous 10 games. The team should forget about the Ottawa Senators, move forward, and continue the playoff push. Folks around here act as if the Wings will never win another game. The last time I checked, the Wings are five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wildcard spot with 22 games remaining.

THE LIONS ARE VILLAINS

I loved the Villain sweat short that Lions General Manager Brad Holmes wore on Good Morning Football.
It is time for the sweet, loveable Lions to die. It is time for the vicious Lions to emerge. Holmes said Villain is a mindset that the scouting department wants in bringing players to the team. If that’s the case, the Lions should trade up in the NFL Draft and get defensive tackle Jalen Carter. He is viewed as a generational player and a number one pick. His stock may drop because he faces misdemeanor charges associated with the car crash that killed teammate Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy. I have some slogan ideas for the other Detroit sports teams.

Tigers: Hitless

Pistons: The defense rests.

Red Wings:?

WHERE IS THE COLLEGE BASKETBALL COVERAGE IN DETROIT?

I’ve always contended that Detroit is not a college basketball town. The media certainly plays it that way. We have two of the best stories in college basketball, and The News and Free Press barely take notice. Emoni Bates is killing it at Eastern Michigan University, while Antoine Davis is close to breaking Pistol Pete Maravich’s all-time scoring record in college basketball. One problem is Eastern Michigan does a poor job of publicizing its athletes. You have a better chance of getting an audience with the president of the United States than getting a sit down with an EMU athlete.

Photo Credit Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports