This season has been a disaster for the Detroit Pistons however you slice it.
They didn’t make the progress that was promised and the young players have been developed inconsistently with constantly changing roles and an ill fitting roster around them.
But the cupboard isn’t bare.
Cade Cunningham is a star and is going to keep getting better. I’ve had enough of the Cade slander from people who want to blame the Pistons’ poor record all on him. On any other team, a guy putting up his numbers would be considered a star already, but for some fans, it’s not enough to declare him “that” guy. I’m declaring it. He is.
Jaden Ivey looks like a worthy sidekick. Jalen Duren is a very good young big man and Ausar Thompson has all of the tools to be a top wing defender and explosive offensive player even if he never develops a great 3-point shot.
Marcus Sasser, Quentin Grimes and Isaiah Stewart are at least good role players off the bench, so it’s not like the Pistons have nothing to build on. The question is whether they will use this solid foundation to build something real or if they’ll keep piling more sand on top of it.
They have the rare opportunity to clear the slate this offseason, have a fresh start and still improve, but the question is whether they will actually do it.
Detroit Pistons: Fixing the roster.
The Pistons only have eight players under contract for next season after recently inking Stanley Umude to a two-year deal.
We assume they are going to re-sign Simone Fontecchio, so that makes nine. That leaves six spots for them to add to a promising core and make an actual team.
They have plenty of cap space to do it in free agency and there will undoubtedly be some stars available for trade this offseason.
But will Detroit make the necessary additions or double down on guys they already have?
Will they bring back James Wiseman, who is suddenly getting consistent minutes off the bench? Will they bring back Evan Fournier, an expensive Joe Harris type who is due $19 million if the Pistons pick up his option? What about Troy Brown Jr, Shake Milton, Malachi Flynn? In the case of the last four guys, they are too new to share any of the blame for this miserable season, but they are also players who have shown what they are, which is guys who are not good enough to play on good teams, so why should they be good enough for the Pistons?
The sad thing is, that even after flirting with the worst record in NBA history, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Detroit Pistons brought some of these guys back, which would be a huge error.
They need upgrades in talent across the board, better and more complementary role players to supplement their core. They need players who have shown they can be in the rotation of a playoff team, not cast offs from the deep bench of one.
And if that means trading one of the Core Four to get a star and a roster that makes more sense, so be it, but the Pistons cannot double down on this roster, they just can’t. They need six new players to fill those spots, not hope that they might get lucky with someone else’s recycling bin.
The Detroit Pistons could fire Troy Weaver
And what about the man who built this mess? Is he ever going to be held accountable?
I (and most fans like me) have given Troy Weaver plenty of patience and benefit of the doubt, as we know he didn’t start with much. But he also didn’t have huge problems either.
He had one really bad contract. He had all of his draft picks. He had lottery luck. And this is what he did with it.
You could argue that he’s gotten burned on nearly every trade he’s made. He’s given up draft picks for role players. The Pistons have been the worst team in the NBA since he’s been their GM and they are somehow still down a draft pick, while other rebuilding teams are stockpiling them.
We’ve watched teams like Houston, Orlando, OKC, Minnesota and Indiana all improve from where they were in this time and all will be in or near the playoffs this season. Yes, they all had stars to trade to jumpstart their rebuilds, so again, I will cut Troy Weaver some slack, but the Pistons should be at least nearing that level and they aren’t even close. They got worse.
Is this the guy you want to trust to use their $60+ million in cap space? Is this the man you want to trust to trade one of their core players for a star?
It looks as though Weaver is going to get another offseason, but if the Pistons really want to break away from this cycle, they might need a fresh perspective and a new regime to do what needs to be done.
Can I also say that I NEVER call for people to be fired, as I don’t wish that on anyone, so that’s not what’s happening here, but the stink of this season is going to be hard to wash off without some fresh hands doing the cleaning and that starts with Weaver.
The Detroit Pistons could fire Monty Williams
Like most Pistons fans, I was happy when the Detroit Pistons hired Monty Williams, which seemed like a coup for a bad team who needed new leadership. I was wrong.
Williams has been a disaster to the point that national pundits who usually don’t even pay attention to the Pistons are openly wondering what the hell is going on with him and whether he is trying to get fired.
He begrudgingly took the job and it shows, as Monty has looked checked out all season and performs like a guy who is still just learning who his players are and what they can do.
I’m not going to rehash his list of baffling choices, but a big part of the failure of this season has to go on a the coach who has not only lost but not developed the players. Say what you want about Dwane Casey, but he knew the task and did it well. He let the young players play, coached them up and never lost the locker-room.
The players are still playing hard this season, more of a testament to them than Monty. Again, I’m not calling for anyone to get fired here, but I will say that I hope the Pistons and Williams can work out some sort of arrangement this offseason, as he doesn’t look like he wants to be in Detroit, so this is as much for him as it is the team.
The Detroit Pistons can turn over a big chunk of their roster with a fresh start and new hope or they can keep doing what they’ve been doing, which is setting records for futility. At some point, you have to try and fix what isn’t working, but will the Pistons have the stones to do it, or will they keep trying the same thing and hoping for a different result?