Detroit Pistons: Who is to blame for embarrassing loss?

The Detroit Pistons were embarrassed at home last night by the Milwaukee Bucks in a game that was all but over before it was five minutes old.

I have to admit, it takes some kind of effort to go down by 25 points in the first quarter, but the Pistons managed to pull it off, spearheaded by a defense that may as well not have come out of the locker room.

It’s been six years of futility against the Bucks, so it’s not like anyone expected the Pistons to win this game, but the Washington Generals have put up more fight against the Harlem Globetrotters than what we saw last night and the game was emblematic of the season in many ways.

The Pistons have lost by an average of 17 points in this four-game losing streak, but this one just felt different. Pistons’ Twitter was a mess of finger pointing afterwards and just about everyone has a stake in how bad this has gotten.

So who is to blame for this mess? The best question is, who isn’t?

Detroit Pistons: Who is to blame for this brutal season?

Youth and Injuries

Yep, we’ve heard all about these. The Pistons are the 9th-youngest team in the NBA and every one of the younger teams but one is ahead of them in the standings. They also lost Cade Cunningham for the season, which obviously hurt their chances and development.

None of those things have anything to do with effort, so fans are getting sick of this as a fallback excuse. Like I said, no one expects them to win every game, and fans aren’t even bothered by the losses, but giving up 49 points in the first quarter (and at least 32 in the other three) cannot be entirely blamed on youth and injuries.

The Magic are younger and have missed more time to injuries and they are seven games ahead of the Detroit Pistons, so I think we’ve all heard about enough of this one.

Detroit Pistons: Who is to blame for this brutal season?

Dwane Casey

To say many Pistons’ fans have turned on Dwane Casey is an understatement, as to some, he is the sole reason they are underperforming. They blame his rotations, his schemes, his lack of adjustments and his inability to get the most out of his players.

Some of this is fair, though he’s not the one putting out the lackluster effort, nor missing a ton of open shots, nor dribbling the ball endlessly in a half court offense that often resembles the one that James Naismith used when the hoop was still a peach basket.

I am not one to coach blame, as I think it’s the easiest thing to do, as fans have far more invested in the players, who can’t easily be fired. But something coach Casey said after the game stuck out:

At some point, there has to be some accountability for the “tone” his team routinely fails to set. Whether it’s some changes in the rotation, some different lineup combinations, a change in the pre-game routine or just some good old fashioned yelling, something has to change here and it’s on the coach to do it.

It’s hard to see Dwane Casey coaching the Pistons next season, and I do think it’s time to move on, but I put no more of the blame on him than any of these other factors, probably less, as he has not been given the tools to win.

Troy Weaver

Somehow GM Troy Weaver tends to escape any criticism for how this season as gone, as Pistons’ fans keep eating up the restoration mantra and ignoring the results. Yes, this is a rebuild, and yes, those take time, but at some point there have to be signs of improvement, right? Is hoping for the #1 pick the only strategy here?

I want more than anyone for the Detroit Pistons to be good, but I also understand that this was a tear down and it will take time to get there, and I am fine with it. But in the meantime, these young players are learning horrible habits and getting way too used to losing. On top of that, this is not a team, it’s a collection of transactions.

Little thought was put into how some of the offseason additions would affect the defense, which is the worst in franchise history for the second year in a row. Instead of getting some gritty role players who might inspire and teach these young guys how to be pros, Troy Weaver went out and got Marvin Bagley III and Kevin Knox. The guy who was meant to help fill that role (Nerlens Noel), doesn’t play.

And there is no end in sight, as what free agent is going to want to join this? What do the Pistons have to trade to land a star? The team is relying a lot on player development and the draft, which is fine, but at some point you have to try to put together an actual team whose pieces fit and who have a chance to grow, gel and build some chemistry.

We’ve been patient and most fans (including me) will continue to be. I do think Weaver has the chops to turn this around and that he eventually will. But if we are going to constantly blame coach Casey, then we also need to blame the guy who gave him an extension and put together this roster, which has about six wasted spots on it.

This offseason is going to be huge for Weaver, as patience will eventually run out and there have to be signs of improvement. I won’t go into next season thinking the Detroit Pistons are a playoff team, but I’d like to think they won’t be the worst team in the NBA again.

Detroit Pistons: Who is to blame for this brutal season?

The players

The one group that rarely gets blamed for any of this is the players, which seems absurd to me considering they are the ones who actually play the game.

Far too often this team has put up lackadaisical effort, played lazy defense, selfish offense and at some point they need to look in the mirror.

Again, we knew the success of this season wouldn’t be measured in wins and losses, but in development, improvement and effort. We’ve seen some individual improvement in certain guys, and the rookies have been a bright spot, but we’ve also seen this team consistently get blown off the floor with little resistance and at some point, the players need to be accountable too.

The Pistons only won 23 games last season, but at least they were close in many of them. In fact, they were secretly the best bet in the NBA, as they covered the spread more than 20 games in a row, played with some fire and were at least keeping games close.

That hasn’t been the case this season, and while I do think coach Casey and Troy Weaver need to shoulder some blame, so do the players. Youth isn’t an excuse for poor effort, so they need to show some pride and play with some heart.

Rebuilds are tough for everyone from the fans to the players to the front office, so it’s natural to feel frustration. I still have hope this will eventually turn around, but everyone involved needs to do better.