Jose Calderon: ‘It’s not about winning or losing at this time of the season’

Jose Calderon, via Keith Langlois of Pistons.com:

"It’s not about winning or losing at this time of the season. It’s about showing what we can do, have pride, play 48 minutes."

It’s refreshing to hear a Piston finally say that, but more importantly, it’s appears not only Jose Calderon feels that way.

The Pistons are giving more minutes to young players, experimenting with different lineups and losing. This is what many fans with an eye on the team’s long-term future – including myself – want to see. We’d all prefer Detroit’s present games mattered more, but they don’t, so at this point, there’s nothing wrong with outsiders hoping for losses.

In previous years, the Pistons were reluctant to embrace any practices associated with tanking. But this season seems a little different, and Calderon’s admission supports that.

The Pistons are getting less stubborn and more progressive. They’ll be better off because of it.