Pistons news: Tough conversations with Monty Williams

The Detroit Pistons dropped their 18th straight and there is no end in sight.

After the game, head coach Monty Williams said that he was going to have some tough conversations with guys on the bench who were not cutting it:

The bench is in a disturbing freefall along with the rest of the team, so yes, these conversations need to happen.

But I'd also like to open a dialogue with you, coach Williams, even though I know you are not reading this and couldn't give a toss what I think. It's more of a mental health exercise for my own benefit, so bear with me while I ask some questions designed to start tough conversations.

Tough conversations with Monty Williams

I'd like to start this one-way conversation by saying that I don't blame you, coach. You probably didn't fully know what you were getting into when you took over this team, how could you? You were the coach of one of the best teams in the league and the Pistons have long been one of the worst, so I am sure they weren't on your radar.

I also don't blame you for the missed shots, the porous defense, the lack of effort and the millions of boneheaded mistakes your team makes. You can coach them up, but they are the ones who have to execute.

But some things are under your control, so let's focus on those. I have a series of questions, think of them as conversation starters.

1. Do you really want to be here?

I am not asking this to be flippant or facetious, I'm serious, you ok, man? I know it was difficult to come out of your short retirement and I hope everything is well with you, your wife and family. This wasn't your first choice, and I get that money was too tempting to pass up, but collecting all of that Suns money to not work and spend more time with your loved ones has to seem pretty appealing right about now. No one would fault you if you just said "you know what? I didn't give myself enough time. I came back too soon." I don't think you should be fired, coach, but consider your well-being here.

2. What did Jaden Ivey do to get on your bad side?

Once again, Ivey was the 11th man in the rotation last night, and while he ended up playing 24 minutes, he didn't come off the bench until the 2nd quarter. Like it or not, Jaden Ivey is the 3rd-best offensive option you have. He's a lot better than Marcus Sasser or Isaiah Livers or Alec Burks or James Wiseman or any of the other guys you brought off the bench ahead of him. If you have to take Cade Cunningham and Bojan Bogdanovic out at the same time (more on that in a minute) shouldn't Ivey then be your primary ballhandler and go-to guy? In fact, couldn't you use Ivey to alleviate some of the pressure from Cade Cunningham? I get what you were trying to do at the beginning of the season and I agreed with it, but it seems you are holding Ivey to a standard that none of your other players have to meet. This is a good kid with a strong work ethic who wants to be great and maybe more importantly, wants to be great IN DETROIT. Jerking around his minutes and role like this can't be good for a developing player. Why are you handling him this way? Please enlighten us, because those of us who are not experts like yourself cannot figure this out.

Tough conversations with Monty Williams

3. What is with the undying faith in Isaiah Stewart?

Coach, I love Beef Stew, and I get why he has to be out there. He's the only big you have who can defend at both levels and he competes. He has to be a fun guy to coach, as he puts in the work and cares. But this is not working. Last night was the perfect chance (with MBIII out with injury) to use Stewart as the backup five and to try and get some more defense and shooting on the wing. Instead, you kept Stewart at the four and started Bogdanovic at small forward. Why not at least try something different? Even if you think you have to start Stewart, could we try him at the five now that Jalen Duren is hurt again? Every other young player on this team has had their minutes/role changed except for Stewart even though there is mountains of evidence that he is just not a starting NBA power forward. Memphis started Bismack Biyombo at center last night, so there was no reason to go big. Is this being forced on you by the front office? Do you really think this can work? Will you ever try anything different with Stewart?

4. What happened to the 3-guard lineup?

One of the bright spots of the two games before last night was the success of the three-guard lineup featuring Cade, Ivey and Killian Hayes.

This trio has only played 44 minutes together but the results have been promising, as they have the second-highest net rating of any trio that has played at least 40 minutes together for the Pistons. They were the spark that got the Pistons going in the previous loss to the Cavaliers. So why did you go away from it? The three didn't play together at all last night, which just doesn't make any sense. If Duren is indeed out with an injury again, the next starting five should be Cade, Ivey, Killian, Bojan and Stewart. Could you at least try it and see what happens? Cade Cunningham has been very good off the ball, as he seems to make quicker decisions and be more aggressive, so why not get him more looks this way? I'm no coach, but Cade is your best player and best chance to crawl out of this, so I'd be doing everything possible to make his life easier. So why aren't you?

Tough conversations with Monty Williams

5. What's with these all-bench lineups?

As you may have noticed, coach, your bench stinks. It wasn't great to begin with but the entire group is in a shooting slump right now, so why in the world would you ever put all-bench lineups on the floor? One of Cade Cunningham or Bojan Bogdanovic needs to be out there at all times, especially to start the 4th quarter. Look at the +/-, coach, these all-bench groups are killing your team right now. You have players in Isaiah Livers and Alec Burks who are not playable at the moment. Don't get me wrong, coach, I like those guys too and I get it, but they are part of the problem and something has to change.

6. How can you fix these 4th-quarter issues?

Your team was outscored 34-18 in the 4th quarter last night, which has become a regular occurrence. They just seem to fall apart in the 4th and the numbers support it, as the Pistons have the second worst 4th-quarter margin in the league. Suddenly your offense grinds to a halt, and it all becomes Cade Cunningham dribbling around and taking tough shots. Is this by design? Is your team playing scared? What kinds of adjustments are you going to make to stop your team from wilting in the 4th quarter every game?

7. Any chance we'll see any of the G-League guys?

I know this isn't your call, per se, but would you consider giving someone else a shot off your bench? Alec Burks hasn't made a shot since he came back from injury. Isaiah Livers has been terrible. Marcus Sasser is in an extended slump. Meanwhile, Stanley Umude has shot over 50 percent from long range in his short time with the team and is killing it in the G-League, shooting over 42 percent on nearly nine attempts per game. Your bench needs a spark. It needs some shooting. You have three two-way players in the G-League who are all shooting upwards of 40 percent from long range on high volume. Would it hurt to give them a chance?

8. I'll ask again: Are you sure you want to do this?