Joe Dumars officially steps down

ByABC News
April 14, 2014, 12:09 PM

— -- Joe Dumars has stepped down as the Detroit Pistons' president of basketball operations, the team announced Monday.

"Joe Dumars is a great champion who has meant so much to this franchise and this community," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "We are turning the page with great respect for what he has accomplished not only as a player and a front office executive, but as a person who has represented this team and the NBA with extraordinary dignity."

The Pistons said Dumars will remain with the franchise as "an advisor to the organization and its ownership."

Dumars was named the 2003 executive of the year, and the Pistons won the title the following season, adding the 2004 crown to the two they won when Dumars was a player.

But Detroit hasn't made the playoffs since 2009, and the retooled Pistons flopped badly this season.

Detroit lost its home finale Sunday, dropping to 29-52 with one game remaining in the season.

After the game, players expressed disappointment in how 2013-14 has gone. Now they have little choice but to wait and see who will be in charge of basketball operations in the future -- and whether that person will be able to bring some stability to the franchise.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.