You might not be aware of this, but the Pistons indeed are currently in season and I’m here to update you on what you might have missed. The Pistons record is 16-28…which puts them incredibly only a couple games out of the race to get curb stomped in the 1st round of the Playoffs. Let’s rundown the exciting NBA ACTION that you probably have not tuned into all season long.
1. This team blows an exorbitant amount of games in the 4th quarter. Simply put, when the going gets tough, this team folds. They either rely on their old hat tendencies of launching threes every possession or repeatedly going ISO Tayshaun in close games. By my calculations, ISO Tayshaun seems to be about as effective as ISO Ben Wallace was when Larry Brown was in charge.
You know in sports movies how there is always a dramatic comeback? Well, the 10-11 Pistons seem to be that other team in those movies. Whenever the Pistons are playing a team that starts showing some mettle and grit, we immediately meltdown as soon as things slightly deviate from the plan. C’mon, this is a team that blew a 25 point 2nd half lead at home against those world-beaters from Toronto.
2. Richard Hamilton. Simply put, he is one of the greatest Pistons of all-time. The way his saga in Detroit is ending is beyond depressing. He checked out on the Pistons a couple years ago and anyone who remotely followed the Pistons knew that a trade was necessary to avoid what we have now. And what we have now is one of the most talented players on the team being benched with no trade imminent. When he was playing, mysterious stomach illnesses seemed frequent and didn’t seem committed to this team. It’s a bummer how he and the Pistons have handled this situation.
3. Tayshaun Prince. For about the first 6 years of his career I thought he was a mute. I believed his only methods of communication were over-exaggerated shoulder shrugs and awkward head bobs. It looks like I was wrong. He has called out the Kuester publicly all-season long. Most recently, he was the first ever NBA player to use the word “buffoon” when describing Kuester. When the recent glory years of Pistons basketball ended, most Piston fans were ready for him to move on. Instead, like Rip, we’ve left him around long enough to potentially soil his reputation in Detroit.
4. Charlie Villanueva. In my opinion, he is the embodiment of Pistons basketball these days. He’s a 6-11 3-point chucker who averages less than 5 rebounds per game. When the going gets tough, he goes on twitter. Seriously, the fakest person in the NBA said you look like a cancer patient…and your reaction is a twitter rant hours later? Good god man, those are fighting words! Nobody would have blamed you at all if you reacted in any way to Garnett. Instead, you went on twitter and mumbled some nonsense about meeting him in a boxing ring or something.
5. John Kuester. I never had, well, any real hopes for success under Kuester. He had been an assistant coach since ’95 and never had a head coaching gig. Considering the NBA seems to fire about 50% of their coaches every offseason, the fact that he never was a head coach seemed to tell me a lot about what people felt about Kuester. Still, after the Curry disaster, I had hope that he could somewhat keep this team afloat. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case at all; Piston veterans have undermined anything he has attempted to do. I think his reputation in Detroit has been destroyed, and he and the Pistons need a change.
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6. Tracy McGrady. We signed him for next to nothing and I was hopeful that this meant the Pistons were ready to overhaul the roster. Instead, we didn’t, and have a team full of combo guards. Still, and somewhat incredibly, McGrady has emerged as one of the best options on this team. I like him in the starting lineup.
7. Greg Monroe. The jury is still out on Monroe, but he has showed some positive returns recently. I admit, I was about ready to give up on him after Kuester benched him to start the season off so that guys like Maxiell could play instead. Recently, he has received more consistent playing time, and his production has increased as he gets more comfortable. Earlier this month, he had 4 consecutive double-doubles. A 6-11 guy grabbing boards instead of doing whatever Daye and Villanueva do is change I can get excited about.
8. Ben Wallace. I’m thrilled with how his return to Detroit has gone. His fro has started to grey, and he has nowhere near the ability he had during Detroit’s run, but you can tell he brings it every night. Instead of pouting and calling out Kuester like other veterans, he just goes out and tries to make plays. I’m happy that he’ll retire in Detroit under good terms.
9. Ben Gordon. Gordon was hurt last year, so we seemingly gave him a mulligan for this year to prove that he can play. Sadly, he has been a major disappointment this season. He’d certainly benefit with increased playing time, but still, when he is out there he is not doing nearly enough to justify his salary.
10. Joe Dumars. Dumars has repeatedly stated that he won’t just make trades just for the sake of making them…but this approach has backfired in my opinion. Rip should have been traded years ago, and his value was certainly higher those days then what it is now since he is a sulking, benched, 32 year old player. I have no idea how much this whole not having an owner fiasco has hampered his ability to make moves, but this roster is a mess.
So, what happens from here? Well, like I said earlier, the Pistons are only a couple games behind powerhouses such as Indiana, Charlotte and Milwaukee for that 8th spot in the Playoffs. This Pistons team has some talent, I swear, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they overtake these teams and take the eighth spot with around 35 wins.
Do I want this to happen? Not really. This team is just a clusterfuck of petty millionaires fighting and doing things that are not beneficial to the team as a whole. This team needs new blood. Be it trades, free agency, draft picks and most importantly, an owner.
It is upsetting to say this, but there are pretty much zero compelling reasons to watch the Pistons as they are right now. The 10-11 Pistons aren’t lovable losers that are overmatched each night, but rather a bunch of guys playing a game that look like they would rather be anywhere else other than on the court. If they don’t seem to care, then why should you.
Buck up, we got 66 days until opening day.
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