Detroit Pistons: Why the Heat and Nuggets never tank

Detroit Pistons: Why the Heat and Nuggets never tank

Patience

Mike Malone said something this postseason that really stuck with me, as he talked about the importance of patience, of being given time to build something.

Malone said that he was once approached about a trade of Jamal Murray for a “marquee” player (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED) and that he was able to talk the team into keeping Murray.

Even the Heat, the model franchise of sustained success, had people telling them to “blow it up” this season, as they were only the 8th seed and not really a contender, so what is the point?

Ring culture has ruined the NBA in some ways, as many fans consider titles to be the only thing that matters, and if you aren’t winning one, you may as well be tanking for the #1 pick. It’s really that black and white to some people. It’s especially myopic right now, as the NBA is more wide open than it’s ever been, as we just watched an 8th seed plow through the top-seeded teams in the Eastern Conference.

What this misguided ethos of ring culture ignores is that basketball is supposed to be entertainment and there is nothing entertaining about watching your team win 17 games. It also ignores that teams take time to build, as we’ve seen with the Heat and Nuggets, who just kept tinkering away around their stars until they eventually got a Finals team.

This is going to be the hard part for the Detroit Pistons, as fans have been patient for a long time and it has not paid off. But the last thing Troy Weaver can do now is to give into pressure to make sloppy moves, overpay the wrong guy, change out coaches every other season and not allow this team to grow and build.

It’s not an easy task in our “on demand” world where fans have the patience of small children angrily scrolling on their iPads, searching for the next shiny thing.

But if the Detroit Pistons ever want to be a team that is regularly in the playoffs, they need to actually build a culture and not just talk about it, starting by hiring the right head coach, continuing to build steadily through the draft, free agency and trades, and giving that foundation some time to develop together.