[1] The Pistons were coming off a 30–52 (.366) record from their first season in the Eastern Conference, and aiming to halt declines of six and eight wins from their previous two seasons, but by finishing 16–66 (.195) they had the worst record in franchise history at the time, and the worst NBA record since the 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers won only nine games.
Coach Dick Vitale, who was also in charge of player personnel, was fired 12 games into the season, having pushed for a disastrous trade with the Boston Celtics for Bob McAdoo when Pistons free agent M.L.
Carr signed with Boston that would eventually net the Celtics key championship components Carr, Robert Parrish, and Kevin McHale in a series of exchanges.
Injuries to McAdoo and center Bob Lanier, who was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks during the season, left the Pistons a depleted roster and the team finished with fourteen consecutive defeats.
He began a long and successful career as a television analyst at fledgling cable network ESPN approximately a month after leaving the bench.