There are a lot of reasons why things went south for the Detroit Pistons when the postseason came around.
Star players turning into role players, the bench disappearing, and the weight Cade Cunningham carried on offense eventually sank the ship.
Through it all, though, arguably the biggest reason for the Pistons' playoff disaster hinges on head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
To make matters worse, Detroit's premature decision to ink the head coach to a long-term extension following their round one win over the Orlando Magic makes it clear that the ongoing problem is here to stay, and while it's easy to blame the players on the court, until accountability is given to the man steering the sunken ship, there won't be much improvement.
J.B. Bickerstaff costs Detroit in the postseason
One of the biggest gripes about Bickerstaff during his time in Cleveland was the coach's lack of adjustments and inability to out-scheme opposing coaches.
Against his former team, those issues reemerged, just as they did during the team's first-round series against the Magic, which nearly started their offseason early before Cunningham's heroics saved the team from a 3-1 deficit.
And the hard pill to swallow about Bickerstaff's failure in this series alone is the fact that the head coach spent more time complaining about the referees than acknowledging the biggest issues for his team stemmed from within, especially with their problems closing out games.
Bickerstaff was outmatched in the X's and O's department by Kenny Atkinson, and ultimately, his failure to adjust before the hole grew too deep for his team to climb out of is the main reason for Detroit's postseason collapse.
Heading into the offseason, Bickerstaff's missteps only add to the questions Detroit will be forced to answer.
Is Bickerstaff really the man for the job?
With Bickerstaff freshly signed to a long-term deal, it's extremely unlikely the Pistons would back off their commitment.
However, after watching how things unfolded for Detroit in round two, there's no way the team's decision-makers didn't walk away from the series with at least a few questions.
Bickerstaff will return next season, and Trajan Langdon will have to improve the roster in order to help the head coach out, but if Detroit falls short again, the team will have to face the reality that a change at the top may be needed.
A team will only go as far as its head coach leads them, and up to this point in his career, Bickerstaff hasn't proved that he's capable of being that guy.
The head coach reinstated the culture in the Motor City, but a culture change isn't enough to overlook shortcomings that keep emerging, assuming they do.
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