Detroit Pistons: Learning how to lose with Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose

At the end of the Detroit Pistons most recent “competitive” loss, announcer Greg Kelser said something about the young Pistons “learning how to win.”

Huh?

It looked to me like they were learning how to lose considering all of the young guys were on the bench watching Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose, who were a combined -29 in their 68 minutes of play.

The rookies got to watch as the veterans blew a 14-point 4th quarter lead to a terrible Hawks team when they suddenly couldn’t score. Saddiq Bey, Sekou Doumbouya and Isaiah Stewart played a combined 29 minutes, the same as Rose.

Derrick Rose went into hero ball mode and took 3-4 shots in the 4th quarter that would have gotten any rookie benched but, yes, tell me more about how they are learning to win.

Are they learning to win when Blake Griffin holds the ball, backs in for the entire shot clock and then takes a contested shot off one foot? How about when he shoots one of his patented contested stepback 3-pointers?

I’m not sure how these two are teaching the young guys anything but bad habits and double standards.

Detroit Pistons: Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose are playing too much

I understand that the Pistons would like to trade these two (PLEASE) and need to play them to do it.

I also understand the theory that having young guys earn minutes behind veterans is a good way to develop their skills and confidence. They can also learn by watching professionals day in and day out.

I also get that Dwane Casey is trying to win games. The problem is that playing Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose does none of that.

The more Blake Griffin plays the worse he looks, so he is not being showcased playing 39 minutes in a loss.

Same with Rose, whose minutes just remind people that he is a one-dimensional ball hog who takes 15 shots and racks up one assist.

These are the Pistons’ mentors? Both Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose take awful shots, barely play defense and dribble the ball to death on offense.

As for winning games, the Detroit Pistons aren’t doing that anyway. Griffin and Rose have arguably been worse than their backups, so again, I just don’t see the argument.

If the Detroit Pistons were winning games or these two were playing well in the losses, then it would make sense, but right now they are losing often because of the play of their two veteran leaders.

What are the rookies learning here? How to take bad shots? How to lose winnable games?

I’m not saying they should be benched, but the young guys aren’t learning anything from bad losses other than how to lose.

There is no reason for Griffin and Rose to play a combined 68 minutes and they sure aren’t teaching anyone “how to win.”