The Detroit Pistons Should Hang A Consecutive Losses Banner And Not Take It Down Until They Win A Playoff Game

Banners have become a hotly contested thing in sports lately. Ohio's Tate wrote a really good blog last week about the five funniest banners hanging in areas. The thing about banners is that they look fantastic and give off the impression that you've had some sort of storied history. The Detroit Pistons, to their credit, do have a storied history. Three NBA championship banners hang at Little Caesars Arena. But none of those banners really belong to LCA. They were won at other venues. The Pistons have won nothing since they changed areas, so I think it'd be a good idea to hang a banner for the most consecutive losses at LCA.

I joked about this in a tweet last night, but the more I thought about it, the more I think it's actually a good idea, and I wish more teams would do stuff like this. I know it sounds silly, but hear me out. Athletes do this all the time. How many stories have you heard about a team writing the score of one of their losses on the bulletin board in the weight room before the next season starts? Failure is the ultimate motivator. This banner should belong more to the fans than it does to the players. They've had to sit through this shit. Yes, the players are responsible for "earning" this record, but 27 consecutive losses don't come because of a few bad breaks. It takes years and years of ineptitude. You need to have countless bad trades and free-agent signings. That's what the Pistons have done, and it all culminated in this 27-loss fecal waterslide.

Twenty-seven consecutive losses are a blight on the organization. The streak is still ongoing. They're going to add to that total. I can't imagine that they beat the Celtics in their next game. But I hate it when organizations act like the past doesn't bother them. The 2016 Cubs were very much aware that they hadn't won a World Series in 108 years. They embraced the expectations. This streak is the ultimate failure for an organization that's experienced nothing but over the last 16 years, and it's why they should keep a banner up until they win a playoff game, and that part is important. Please don't keep it up until you win the division. Please don't keep it up until you make the playoffs. Keep that banner up until you win a fucking playoff game because it's not that hard. 

I know the Pistons have made the playoffs three times since their last playoff victory. They got swept each time. I don't view that as a monumental achievement. Sorry, but Stanley Johnson shit-talking LeBron in the first round in 2016 doesn't fill my heart with nostalgia. I'd argue that a 16-year streak without a playoff win in the NBA is every bit as embarrassing as 27 consecutive losses in a single season, so by hanging this banner and not taking it down until you win a playoff game, you're essentially killing two birds with one stone. At the very least, it'd be a unique way to acknowledge that the organization is aware of its failures.