One could argue Daly's Hall of Fame qualifications by pointing out that he wasn't as much as a coach but a prison guard who marched out convicts to physically assault the competition. The Detroit Pistons under Daly were tough, no question. You didn't drive the lane without getting hit, and a hard foul caused a retaliated response. But such was life in the NBA during the1980s.
For all their banging, bruising and belligerent behavior, the Bad Boys were one of the most intelligent teams of the era. The Pistons weren't fancy and never tried to be something they weren't. They knew their strengths and weaknesses, and played accordingly. Perhaps more important, they recognized their opponents' weaknesss and figured out how to exploit them. But for all Daly's teams did on the court, includes the original, 1992 Olympic Dream Team, his greatest accomplishment was somehow maintaining a balance among the strangest group of personalities, outside of the new-century Trail Blazers, ever to grace a NBA team. Outside of Joe Dumars, for whom the NBA named their Man of the Year Award, this was a three-ring circus.
Bill Laimbeer was a player only a teammate could like, Isiah Thomas a three-card monte hustler with a cover boy smile, and was it just a coincidence that Dennis Rodman went from hard-working defender to a basket case once Daly moved on?
The testimonies after his passing took on a familiar ring. So did the watery eyes among those who participated. He was a coach, a mentor and a guy for whom other people wanted to play, yet he still managed to leave people shaking their head when they wondered how could such a nice guy coach such a bunch of jerks.