ROCK BOTTOM: The Detroit Pistons Have Lost 14 Games In A Row. Something Has To Change
This is as bad as it gets. I don’t know how many more blogs I can write about the Detroit Pistons. They’ve reached a point now where they’ve become so uninteresting that nobody’s going to read blogs about them. I don’t blame those people. What is happening right now at Little Caesars Arena is a rare oddity. It is an example of a storied franchise that is at the lowest point in its history. The Detroit Pistons, a team that has not won a playoff game in 16 years, have officially tied a franchise record with 14 consecutive losses. Not only have they lost 14 consecutive games, they did it early in the season. I know some people might not think that matters, but they couldn’t at least allow us the luxury of having hope in the early part of the campaign. The Pistons got this season out of the way early, and we’re not even into December yet.
The losing streak is embarrassing enough, but it doesn't help that last night's loss came against a god-awful Washington Wizards team that the Internet has been making memes about all year. I know the Wizards stink, but at least they're kind of enjoyable in how bad they are. Nate has written a few blogs talking about that. There is no such luxury with the Detroit Pistons. This is not just a bad team; this is a failed relaunch.
Whatever hopes that we had of the Troy Weaver led Detroit Pistons ever bearing fruit are officially dead. Decisions will have to be made. I know that people will say that that's an overreaction, but we should know by now. It's very similar to what we went through with the Tigers. We can keep extending the deadline. I'm sure if you give a moron infinite years to build a successful sports team, they'll probably make the playoffs every so often, but this is not some random expansion franchise. This is a team that has won three NBA championships, including one in my lifetime. An entire generation of Pistons fans not only don't know what it feels like to be champions but also to be competitive. This team has been so awful for so long that they are the only team in Detroit where I've wondered if we'd be better off without them. Maybe we should just stop wasting our fucking time.
I'm not going to sit here and carry water for the Detroit Lions, but it's fair to say that they are a competently run organization in their current form. We'll see how long that lasts. There will always be skepticism when discussing a team that's been so bad for so long, but the train is on the right track. I bring this up because the Detroit Pistons have become what the Detroit Lions used to be. They have an owner who is either completely apathetic or just downright dumb, a GM who will soon be on borrowed time, and a roster that may have individual talent here and there but nothing that resembles a cohesive unit. I wonder if Monty Williams regrets not waiting for another offer.
The Pistons are reaching very dangerous territory. I know the Tigers have been bad for a long time, but Detroit is a strong baseball town. They went 19 years without making the postseason and still came out in droves when they found that magic in 2006. The Pistons following is not nearly that strong. They are reaching a point where even if they get good again, I don't know how many people will care. You can't give us these last 16 years back. And the sad truth is that it will not just be 16 years. They've gone backward since they drafted Cade Cunningham. This might get worse before it gets better. I don't know how it can get worse, but every night, they seem to surprise me.