You have to love Joe Dumars, don't you?

The Detroit Pistons president swings the ax more frequently than Paul Bunyan, and with just as little effort.

Michael Curry became the latest victim of the Terrible Swift Sword in Detroit, where it's win an NBA title or face the firing squad.

Unless you are Larry Brown, of course, who did win the title and still was fired a year later.

Curry, who began his playing career as an undrafted free agent with the 76ers in 1993-94, was dismissed after just one season. The formerly dominant Pistons struggled all year, finished below .500, and were gunned out of the playoffs in one round.

Curry's predecessor and former boss, Flip Saunders, was fired last spring after he took the team to the Eastern Conference finals in each of his three seasons.

The Pistons parted ways with Brown in 2005 after he nagged them to a title and came within a game of repeating in two years with the team.

Rick Carlisle had been fired in 2003 after making the conference finals. That was his second season with the team. In his first, he was the NBA Coach of the Year.

But what ultimately doomed Curry was not the 39-43 record. Blame the four embarrassingly lopsided losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. The Pistons had made six straight conference finals, and to go out that way sealed the deal.

Dumars said after the series that Curry would return, but, obviously, he changed his mind.

"This was a difficult decision to make," Dumars said about firing his former teammate. "I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."

The most damning part of the Pistons' season had nothing to do with Curry - it was the loss of all-star point guard Chauncey Billups in a November trade to Denver for Allen Iverson.

People blame Iverson for the ensuing debacle, but it was more a case of losing Billups than adding A.I.

Detroit won just three games in February and three in April, eventually settling into the eighth and final spot in the seedings - and a collision with LeBron James and the Cavs.

The playoff loss ended an era. The Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers of the Kareem Abdul Jabbar-Magic Johnson era are the only franchises to play in six consecutive conference finals since 1970-71, the first year teams had to win two series to advance that far.

By the way, Curry should land on his feet.

Near the end of his playing career, he headed the NBA players' association, leading it from 2001-2003.

He later served as the NBA Development League's vice president for player development and the NBA's vice president for basketball operations.

And if Phil Jackson retires in Los Angeles now that he's won his 10th championship . . .

Contact staff writer Don McKee at 215-854-4611 or

dmckee@phillynews.com.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.