Detroit Pistons schedule: 9 things to watch in the last 9 games

Detroit Pistons schedule: 9 things to watch in the last 9 games

#3: Playing for Dwane Casey

One of the biggest questions hanging over the Detroit Pistons this season is whether head coach Dwane Casey will be back for the final year of his contract. We know that many fans hope he gets fired, but the organization seems to have faith in him and has backed him publicly so far. But what about his team? They have been terrible of late, but have at least been playing hard, so they haven’t completely quit on their coach. I’ve no idea if that would be a factor in the team’s decision this offseason, but it is something to watch over the last nine games.

#2: Spoiler or win padder?

Of the Pistons last nine games, all but one of them are against teams that are fighting to either get into the playoffs or jockeying for seeding. The lowly Pistons could end up playing a huge part in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, and can either be the team that spoils some other team’s chances or the one that helps them to get in. It looks as though the Pistons will lock up the league’s worst record at some point, and if so, I hope they can at least play spoiler this season if nothing else.

#1: The vets

While Cory Joseph and Rodney McGruder are playing as well as any two players on the team right now, with both knocking down over 50 percent of their 3-point shots this month, the Pistons’ other two veterans, Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic haven’t played. I’m happy for McGruder and CoJo, who have been the consummate professionals in Detroit and hope they can find a better role on a good team next season. As for the other two vets, their “injuries” are a bit disappointing, as you never want to head into an offseason after missing nearly 20 games. Will either Burks or Bogs play again this season?