Will The Losing Ever End For The Pistons?
The Detroit Pistons are now getting into rarified air in terms of their long losing streak.
It is now at 18 straight losses after Wednesday night's 116-102 loss at the hands of the now-6-14 Memphis Grizzlies at Little Caesars Arena. 18 straight losses is tied for 22nd all-time in NBA history. The record is 28 straight games, held by the Philadelphia 76ers. They did it over parts of two seasons (the end of the 2014-15 season and the start of the 2015-16 season).
The Pistons are an NBA-worst 2-19 with no end in sight. The same old problems are plaguing the team again. Poor defense and awful play in the 4th quarter. The injuries haven't helped either. Second-year center Jalen Duren left the Memphis game in the second half with an ankle injury (seen above), which is becoming a problem for Duren going forward.
The Pistons do have Bojan Bogdanovic (last season's best player) back from injury, but it has made no difference so far. And the team now seems to be getting used to the losing. Now let's look at the schedule for the rest of December:
December 8 - @ Orlando (a team on the rise)
December 11 - Home vs. Indiana (who is in the In-Season Tournament semifinals, another rising squad)
December 13 - Home vs. Philadelphia (a top team in the East)
December 15 - @ Philadelphia (see above)
December 16 - @ Milwaukee (they have Giannis and Dame Lillard)
December 18 - @ Atlanta (w/ All-Star Trae Young)
December 21 - Home vs. Utah (winnable, the Jazz are 7-14)
December 23 - @ Brooklyn (11-9 on the season)
December 26 - Home vs. Brooklyn
December 28 - @ Boston (Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown)
December 30th - Home vs. Toronto (who blitzed the Pistons by 29 on November 19th)
January 1st - @ Houston (another rising squad)
Other than maybe the Utah and Brooklyn home games...you tell me when they're going to win another game the rest of this calendar year!!!!
This franchise has turned into a hellhole in the NBA. No free agents want to come to Detroit. And with former number 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham eligible for an extension this coming off-season, does he want to commit long term to this train wreck? I wouldn't blame him if he didn't!!
Despite recent calls for his firing, head coach Monty Williams isn't going anywhere (unless he quits on his own). He is in the first year of a six-year contract (that includes years 7 & 8 as team options) that has him as the highest-paid coach in the NBA.
Executive Troy Weaver is a different issue. He is responsible for this mess in year 4 of the massive rebuild with this franchise. If they keep losing and threaten the all-time record of of the Philadelphia 76ers 9-73 in the 1972-73 season, owner Tom Gores has no choice but to fire Weaver, maybe before the end of the season.
Four years is enough time for the Pistons to show SOME kind of progress. They have shown none of that. And now, people in power need to be held accountable.
But these are the Detroit Pistons. Do you even care in the first place??