The Detroit Pistons' embarrassing All-Star drought

You wouldn't know it by looking at them today, but at one time, the Detroit Pistons were one of the marquee teams in the NBA.

Their three titles are tied for 6th-most all-time and the Pistons are 4th overall in total All-Star selections in NBA history.

Unfortunately, none of them have come lately and it shows. The Pistons haven't won a playoff game in 15 years. To put that in perspective, George W. Bush was president of the United States and "Low" by Flo Rida (feat. T-Pain) was the #1 song (remember that one?)

This embarrassing run of futility has hit its crescendo this season, as the Pistons are on pace to be the worst team in league history, which would be the cherry on top of this sundae of misery.

They've lost 20 games in a row, and there is little chance we'll see an All-Star selection this season, which is nothing new for the Detroit Pistons.

Who was the last Detroit Pistons' All-Star?

The Pistons haven't had an All-Star since Blake Griffin in the 2018-19 season, when he also made third-team All-NBA. I wish someone had warned me that one year of peak point-forward Blake was going to be the highlight of the next five years and counting.

Before that, Andre Drummond made the All-Star team twice in 2015-16 and 2017-18. Drummond has taken a lot of flak from Pistons' fans over the years, but he was the team's last multiple-time All-Star and has had a good career. It's not his fault the Pistons foolishly and unsuccessfully tried to build around a center that couldn't shoot just as those were starting to go away.

Allen Iverson made the All-Star team in 2008-9 via the fan vote even though he was well past his prime. This was a legacy vote and a testament to how popular Iverson was more than anything, and most Pistons fans would rate the trade for Iverson as a disaster all around.

So in the last 15 years, the Pistons have had three different players make the All-Star team, four selections total. Two of them were Andre Drummond (once as a reserve), one was the final season of Blake Griffin before his knee got him and one was 33-year-old Allen Iverson who averaged 17 points a game.

Who will be the next Pistons All-Star?

That's a good question. The smart money is on Cade Cunningham, who is putting up All-Star-ish (has to improve his efficiency) numbers this season, though doing it on the worst team in the league. He won't make it this year, but he's the safest bet to be next.

Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren could both get there at some point, but we are looking at not having an All-Star for the better part of a decade and only three in nearly 20 years unless someone develops quickly.

All-Star selections aren't everything but they are a good indication of whether your team has had any talent, so the paltry number of selections speaks volumes about where the Pistons have been as a franchise in the last 15 years.