The Detroit Pistons have the flexibility to spend in the offseason and the decision to buy or sell. They must remember the Detroit Tigers’ mistakes.
The best way to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself is to remember history.
Detroit Pistons senior adviser Ed Stefanski needs to turn to the mid-2010s chapter of his Detroit sports history book and look at what sent the Detroit Tigers into a tailspin where contention seems far-fetched into the middle of the next decade.
The decade started off great for the Tigers, making four straight postseasons from 2011-14, including a World Series appearance in 2012, only to be swept by the San Francisco Giants.
Then, Dave Dombrowski continued to improve the roster, and the Tigers responded by winning 93 and 90 games in the next two seasons. However, they bowed out in the League Championship series in 2013 and League Division series in 2014.
Basketball in Detroit has a chance to re-shape itself in a big way. There’s a lot of money coming off the books in free agency for the first time in several years. The Pistons have a star in Blake Griffin and prospects in Luke Kennard and Sekou Doumbouya. Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond have uncertain futures with their expiring contracts.
Stefanski will define the Pistons future between now and August 2020. He is clearly aligned with head coach Dwane Casey and the analytical side of the game, finding ways to improve the team’s 3-point shooting woes from a year ago and the area around the basket.
With so many options to re-tool the Pistons, let’s take a look at where the Tigers went wrong.