The Detroit Pistons have the worst bench in the NBA and it's not particularly close.
Even in the games when the starters give them a fighting chance, the bench sucks away all of that hope the first time they step on the floor. Monty Williams, who has been slow to do anything, has yet to figure this out even though the all-bench units have been killing the Pistons every game.
It's not all Williams' fault, as he has precious little talent on his bench, so it's not like he has a lot of options. But there are four players whose time with the Pistons should be finished.
I don't care if they are permanently benched, traded or cut, but these four guys should see the floor for the Pistons in the new year.
4 Detroit Pistons I don't want to see again
Joe Harris
Harris was one of the worst trades of the Troy Weaver era, as he's not only been hurt for much of the season but has been awful when he has been in there.
It's a layup line every time he comes into the game, as he can't stay in front of anyone, which you could almost forgive if he were hitting 3-point shots at his normal rate. But Harris has shot just 29 percent from long range for the season, so they are not even getting decent shooting as a trade-off for terrible defense.
This is how Troy Weaver spent the bulk of last offseason's cap space and then had the nerve to say this team was going to be competitive all season. By all season, I guess he meant three games.
James Wiseman
Another one of Weaver's genius moves, Wiseman came in exchange for Saddiq Bey, which has proven to be even worse than it looked at the time.
I feel bad for Wiseman, as he is a young player who needs reps and came to a team that already had three centers on it, one of which has the exact same skill set. This season is certainly not Wiseman's fault, but I still don't ever want to see him play for the Pistons again.
Even though he made some progress over a three-game stretch (yay!) Wiseman is still one of the most clueless defenders I've ever seen in the NBA. He never looks sure of where he is supposed to be or what he is supposed to be doing.
What has made this worse is that Bey has gone on to be a competent role player for the Hawks, providing the exact kind of shooting the Pistons currently lack on their bench.
This move has been a disaster, and the Wiseman era should be over.
Isaiah Livers
I don't know If I've ever seen a player get more minutes and props for doing nothing. For two seasons in a row we've been told about how Livers does a lot of things, how he can be a connector, how he is a plus 3-point shooter and an above-average defender.
Really? He must have a twin somewhere.
Livers is shooting 23 percent from long range this season and has a .351 effective field goal percentage that is among the lowest in the league for anyone with the requisite minutes. He is currently 457th in the NBA
He's a tweener on defense who can't stay in front of wings but isn't strong enough to handle bigs. He's clumsy with the ball, takes bad shots and doesn't connect anything with his passing.
It's been tough to watch, as I like Livers and had high hopes for him, but his season has been a disaster, and Kevin Knox can at least hit shots, so Livers' time as a Piston should be over.
Alec Burks
Burks was expected to be the steady scoring option off the bench for the Detroit Pistons and he was for four games.
Since then? It's been a nightmare for Burks.
After last night's 1-of-5 effort, Burks is shooting 30 percent since returning from injury and just 27 percent from long range. What happened?
I have to believe that injury is still bothering him, as Burks has been one of the steadiest bench shooters in the NBA over most of his career. This is a professional scorer who knows how to put the ball in the hole.
It's going to be tough to bench him, but Williams should, as he has two-way guys like Cazalon and Umude he could bring up who would at least offer something. Burks looks broken right now and it's inexplicable.
He's probably shot himself out of even being a trade asset at the deadline, so you can add Burks to the list of guys Troy Weaver waited too long to trade.
The Pistons should start the new year fresh with different players coming off the bench, as these four are not getting it done.