The Detroit Pistons put up just 78 points in last night’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which was the most frustrating of the season.
Several Pistons were visibly upset with their play, which has so far resulted in a historically bad offense and a whole lot of missed shots.
That frustration spilled over to the bench, where it appeared Hamidou Diallo and coach Dwane Casey had some words before exiting to the locker room for a short talk.
Diallo was set to go into the game, but said something to Casey that made him change his mind and the two excited the arena momentarily before returning to the bench.
In the end, Diallo never got in the game, catching another DNP, the only Piston to not play in the blow out.
While I don’t agree with arguing with your coach on the bench, I can understand Diallo’s frustration with his lack of minutes.
Detroit Pistons: Why isn’t Hamidou Diallo playing?
When the Pistons re-signed Hamidou Diallo in the offseason, most people thought he was a shoo-in for the rotation. He showed some flashes last season, and he’s one of Weaver’s guys, so most of us thought he and Josh Jackson would be battling for minutes.
So far Jackson is winning that battle, as Diallo has barely stepped on the floor even though the Detroit Pistons are struggling and could use some kind of spark.
I am not normally one to complain about minutes, as I’d be stupid to think I know more than a coach who watches these guys play and practice every day. We aren’t privy to everything that is happening behind the scenes and I have no idea how Diallo has looked in practice or if there is some other reason he is not getting minutes.
What I do know is that Frank Jackson, Josh Jackson and Cory Joseph have all been terrible this season and have done little to earn the minutes they keep getting while Diallo sits on the bench.
I am not naive enough to think that Diallo is going to save this team because he isn’t, but given that Josh Jackson is a free agent after this season, you’d think the Pistons would want to get a look at his potential replacement at some point, especially when Jackson hasn’t played well anyway.
They have nothing to lose right now, as the bench has been bad all around and the guys in front of Diallo aren’t getting it done.
Perhaps showing his frustration will get coach Casey’s attention, but right now the team’s 6th highest paid player is rooted to the bench and there is no clear reason why.