The Pistons‘ season hit a new low point on Monday.
After winning two of their first three games, they’ve lost 14 in a row, and Monday’s defeat was a 19-point blowout at home to a Washington team that entered the night riding a nine-game losing streak of its own.
Pistons head coach Monty Williams expressed his displeasure after the game in a post-game press conference that was his “angriest and shortest” of the season, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). Williams initially referred to it as a “very” disappointing night before launching into a more in-depth assessment.
“It’s just a level of growing up on this team, maturity, understanding what game plan discipline is,” Williams said. “All the stuff we talk about all the time. Enough talking.
“That wasn’t fight on the floor. That wasn’t Pistons basketball by any stretch of the imagination. That’s what this is. We have to have people that honor the organization and the jersey by competing at a high level every night. Not talking about execution. Just competing. That wasn’t it. And that’s on me.”
Williams told reporters prior to the game that the Pistons had a players-only meeting following their 13th consecutive loss on Friday. However, whatever was discussed in that meeting clearly didn’t translate on the court on Monday, Sankofa observes.
Big man Isaiah Stewart acknowledged after Monday’s loss that the vibe in the locker room isn’t “the best,” but stressed that no one is pointing fingers at one another.
“We’re still a family, we’re still together,” Stewart said. “We know we’re going through a test right now. Me personally, I think it’s a test. I know we will get over this hump. It looks bad, the record looks bad. It’s just stuff that we can fix ourselves. We all know that. Everybody in the locker room is frustrated because we all want to win. We’re not happy or smiling. As a whole, we’re all just trying to find … we know the answers. We know what we gotta do. We gotta go do it. That’s all.”
This was supposed to be the year that the Pistons, who haven’t won more than 23 games in a season since 2018/19, took a step forward and entered the play-in conversation, but that looks more and more like a long shot. While the team is hoping to get Bojan Bogdanovic back from a calf injury soon, it would be unrealistic to expect the veteran forward to turn things around on his own.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic suggests that management should be worried about the losing habits Detroit is developing, noting that the lack of hope around the club right now is a sign of a rebuild heading in the wrong direction.
Edwards adds that a “shake-up of sorts” seems inevitable, given that it’s only November and the Pistons can’t throw the towel in on the season yet. It’s unclear what that sort of shake-up might look like, but it’s safe to assume it won’t involve Williams, who signed a record-setting six-year contract with the organization earlier this year.
Trade Bojan, Wiseman, Bagley and Hayes for a young tall SG (who can shoot) and a young PF (who can shoot) with whatever comes with that. Sasser, Ivey, Stanley and Stewart off the bench. Sign veterans on the bench after everything else is done.
Lol who are they getting for Bojan, Wiseman, Bagley and Hayes?
Wiseman and Bagley are negative value trade assets and Hayes is barely positive.
Bojan MIGHT be able to bring back 1 FRP.
That package isn’t bringing any sort of decent player to Pistons without the addition of numerous draft assets from DET.
You can’t actually be serious with that proposal lmfao
I didn’t make a proposal to any team before you laughed…. What about Bojan and a future 1st(worst one they have) with some 2nds to NO for Jordan Hawkins and Larry Nance.
Or (unlikely) to Atlanta, Bojan, Hayes and a 1st and other picks for Jalen Johnson, AJ Griffin, Mills and Bogdon. Or to the Lakers. Bojan and a 2nd for Rui and Max Christie. Trade Wiseman to the spurs for Doug McDermott, or to Washington for Delon wright and Danilo G. Trade Bagley and a pick to Memphis for Luke Kennard?
So, trade a handful of guys who struggle to get minutes on the worst team in basketball, for players of value. Gotcha.
Monty is not the guy who put together the roster.
It’ll take time. This team is barely out of AAU and the talent is there. Monty seems to be the right coach, too.
Bagley lol. Vlade picked him over Luka. Boggles the mind
What a profound observation…
Move on bro
Gonna turn it around soon. I mean, lose 13 in a row and hold a team meeting (kinda feel like it shouldn’t take double digit consecutive losses to determine something needs to be said/done differently..) then get beat down for loss 14 in a row. What’s the next move? Anonymous lazy player A calling out anonymous teammates B & C for being lazy?
At least Monty knows it’s his fault…
Tom Gores needs to sell the team. Everything he touches turns bad. Shot down 2 seperate andre drummond trades when he actually had value, forced SVG to trade for Blake Griffin, then forces the monty williams hire against Troy Weaver’s wishes.
I’m not going to lie, I and many other pistons fans were excited about the monty hire but I was concerned that his heart wouldn’t be in it with all his family stuff going on and when he said during his press conference that he literally only accepted the job for the bag.
Gores is an LA guy who doesn’t live in Michigan. Doesn’t embody Detroit culture and barely attends the games and when he does he’s plastered on the sidelines. Need a guy who understands the culture and the value that Detroit brings to the league
All his family stuff? His wife was gone in 2016 and he remarried in 2017. I think he’s fine.
His current wife has cancer…
Overrated overpaid coach ……
It’s like he thinks this about him.
The Pistons are where the team should be. The Pistons are going through ‘The Process’. After this season, Detroit will have another very high draft pick and a low payroll.