Detroit Pistons roundtable: Are you pro-tank or pro-compete?

The Detroit Pistons have made the playoffs two of the last four seasons but had a long drought prior. Our team offers insight on if they’d tank or compete.

The Detroit Pistons seem to be caught in the middle of mediocrity. The two playoff appearances in the last four years are the highlight, despite being swept, of what’s been a bitter decade with failed plans by two administrations.

Dwane Casey and Ed Stefanski seem to have a coherent plan in place and are making strides to improve upon a 41-41 season that landed the Pistons the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ve improved that roster, at least on paper, and could reap the benefits of doing so. But if things go awry, it’ll be a complicated decision for the Pistons front office.

Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson have been cornerstones of this franchise through the Stan Van Gundy era and will be for two years of the Stefanski/Casey era. Both will hit free agency next summer, barring Drummond accepting a $28.8 million player option.

It’s easier to navigate in the middle of the season if the Pistons are solid in the playoff race. They should be with the easiest pre-All-Star break schedule in the NBA. Their March is the toughest in the NBA and they close with six of their last eight games on the road in April.

Detroit is going to be in an interesting spot if injuries occur or they underperform, leading to becoming a seller at the trade deadline.

The philosophy of tanking and for building in other ways is fascinating. Teams have proved that both ways work. Here’s where our team sides on the pro-tank or pro-compete aisle.

Aaron Kellerstrass (@TheBukShow): Pro-compete. Tanking is not a proven strategy and I’d be afraid the Pistons would end up more like Phoenix than Philly. Also, teams like Utah and Milwaukee have shown that mid-market teams can compete if they draft well and develop players. The Pistons just need to hit a home run in one of these drafts.

Spyros Papadakos (@RudonGayward): Because tanking sucks. Competing is the whole point of playing and watching a sport. Plus, tanking doesn’t work. Maybe it worked for the 76ers but we’ll have to wait on that one. And since then, the league has taken measures to ensure Philly’s tank job never happens again.

Building a winning culture is much more important than getting high draft picks. Having said that, it all depends on what you mean by tanking/competing. I don’t see all rebuilds as tanking. As long as we maintain a healthy dose of veteran leadership and have a good coach that wants to win, I don’t mind a rebuild. At some point, we’ll have to do that.

Jon Young (@jonyoungsports): I am not going to rip on teams who tank. I totally get the theory. Sometimes it works and sometimes it’s necessary. With that being said I’m pro-compete.

I realize it’s not always the best path to winning a championship, but it’s better for the game and it’s more entertaining as a fan to watch your team attempt to put together a winning roster as opposed to shedding any hopes for winning season. The Western Conference had 11 teams with playoff hopes last season. At the end of the day it makes for better basketball. It makes for more intriguing trades and helps keep the regular season competitive.

Eli Bashi (@EliBashiNBA): I’m pro-compete simply due to how the Pistons are currently built. You can’t tank with Blake Griffin and I have the knowledge to understand that the front office won’t trade Blake Griffin, so there’s no point of begging for a tank when there’s no chance of it happening. Now, trade Blake Griffin, and I will become pro-rebuild, not so much pro-tank.

Eric Black (@dapizzaroll): I’m pro-compete because I’ve watched enough garbage basketball in my local market for the last 10 years.

Steven Bryant (@steven_bryant1): I’d say I’m pro-tank, I guess. Maybe pro-compete? It’s tricky to see what is the better route because they both have pros and cons.

As a player on a tanking team, it’d feel pointless to just lose every game. But some of these teams have front offices that just kind of suck. Cleveland, the Knicks, the Lakers, all of these teams, once their superstar left, the Kobe Bryant‘s, and the Carmelo Anthony‘s, and LeBron James‘, wound up in a purgatory that showed no time of letting up, except for the Lakers who got the LeBron’s to join them. Phoenix is just historically terrible, yet they’ve had picks and cap space to turn things around. It’s just their owner is terrible.

The Pistons are pro-compete and have made the playoffs three times in over a decade just to get swept three different times. Andre Drummond is the last player they drafted since Grant Hill to be an All-Star while wearing a Pistons uniform. Pro-compete is what has made the Pistons spiral into mediocrity for the last 10-plus years. They haven’t had teams good enough to compete, so yeah, they could’ve benefitted from tanking for a season or two. I’m not sure if I answered the question or just blasted other teams. I think I’m pro tanking.

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Richard Davisson (@rdavisson09): For the Pistons, I am pro-compete. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t sell players at the deadline, but doing a Sam Hinkie-style tank wouldn’t be enjoyable for me. Especially since I’m out of state and couldn’t take advantage of the cheap tickets. Now if we are talking NBA 2k My GM mode, I’ll trade half the team before the first game of the season.

Youssef ElMinyawi (@joeminyawi): Tanking is not guaranteed to translate into success and people fail to see that. With the updated lottery odds it’s even less tempting to tank. Finally, tanking shows some disrespect towards the fans who pay to watch. I am all for competing and eventually re-tooling if needed, but not tanking.

Ash Vanclay (@AussieAsh13): Pro-Compete. With the changes in the draft odds, tanking doesn’t guarantee a top pick anymore. On top of that a draft is a gamble and value can be picked up at any position (look at Bruce brown), and just because you get a top pick still requires drafting really well. How many top picks have been busts?!

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