Chuck Daly Passes Away At Age 78.

It is a sad day for basketball players, fans and the general population of Detroit, Michigan. NBA Hall of Fame coach, Charles Jerome Daly (aka: Chuck Daly) died this morning, at his Jupiter, Florida home with his family by his side.  Daly had been battling pancreatic cancer, but succumb to the disease on the morning of May 9th, 2009.

I was never a fan of the Detroit Pistons, but when coach Chuck Daly took over the captains seat, I had to respect his abilities as a coach. The "Bad Boy" Pistons that Daly created weren't nice, but they got the job done, winning 2 NBA Championships, back to back in 1989 and 1990. Daly was able to do what other coaches were not and that was bring out the best in a team that had a small, but very point-guard (Isiah Thomas) as their main star. Chuck Daly also lead the first "Dream Team" to Olympic Gold in 1992. Daly moved to several NBA franchise teams, but enjoyed most of his success with the Detroit Pistons and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994. Daly is ranked ninth in playoff victories (75), 10th in postseason winning percentage (.595) and in 1996, to mark the NBA's 50th season, he was named one of the NBA's Top 10 coaches in history.

Coach Daly will be missed by players, coaches, general managers, owners and fans of the National Basketball Association and basketball worldwide.

Condolences to the Daly family and friends. Daly is survived by his wife, Terry; daughter Cydney and two grandchildren.