Detroit Pistons: 15 Años de Caídas y Fracasos ¿Sin Solución? ⚒️

Detroit Pistons: 15 Años de Caídas y Fracasos ¿Sin Solución? ⚒️

The Detroit Pistons are one of the franchises with the best history in the NBA. They achieved three championships between the 80s and the 2000s and had one of the clearest and most effective philosophies for building their projects. Hard work and getting up after each fall.

However, for the past 15 years, they have been immersed in mediocrity until reaching the current point, one of the most disappointing seasons, not only in the history of the team but in the entire NBA. Because what we see today is a reflection of a series of horrible decisions over three decades.

Today, we will see how the Pistons have become one of the worst teams in history. And how this goes way back. It’s been 15 years. So, get comfortable, and let’s look at the recent history of the Pistons. Traveling back 20 years,

After the 2004 ring and forcing a seventh game in the 2005 finals, the Pistons began to unravel slowly. They did reach their fourth consecutive conference finals, but after losing to Miami in 2006, Ben Wallace decided to leave for Chicago, and this was the first blow to the project.

Despite their great regular-season record, a very young LeBron James eliminated them in the 2007 conference finals. The project remained identical for the next season, and they even improved their record, approaching 60 victories. The problem this time was the team that would become the 2008 champions, the Boston Celtics,

And from here, things really started to fall apart. After this failure, Joe Dumars, the General Manager at that time, told his players that there were no sacred cows on the team, and they could expect changes to the roster.

They fired Flip Saunders, a coach who, despite good performance, never earned the respect of the locker room, and with just two games played, he decided to trade Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Allen Iverson.

Although Dumars tried to sell to the press that this move was to remain competitive and improve, the reality was that they were achieving greater salary flexibility. The possibility of dismantling a team that was more than successful but exhausted. The season record was 39-43, and LeBron James eliminated them again in the first round.

Iverson went to the Grizzlies, and Rasheed Wallace headed to Boston. The team was left in the hands of Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon, and Charlie Villanueva. As you can imagine, the team got considerably worse. They lost 55 and 52 games in the following seasons. They were just bad. There’s no mystery to it.

Between 2011 and 2015, the Pistons were not doing well. They sold the team to their new owner, Tom Gores. There were many changes in the front office, and they went practically at a steady pace of 50 losses or more per season. In the draft, they did quite poorly with their lottery picks,

Saving only Andre Drummond from several bad choices, besides letting go of Khris Middleton and Spencer Dinwiddie very early. It’s not that I’m lazy and don’t want to tell you the story of these years in Detroit. It’s just that these were terrible years, with very few interesting things and many mistakes.

It’s not worth going through it all because they didn’t have a good coach, didn’t choose the draft well, and there was hardly any progression during this time. Perhaps the most notable was the commitment to Stan Van Gundy as both coach and executive. Golden State, in fact, wanted to go for him,

But, of course, the possibility of not only being a coach but making more important decisions was very tempting, and having Popovich as a reference, the Pistons dreamed of great things. In the article I mentioned earlier, they came to a rich comparison between Drummond and Shaquille O’Neal or Dwight Howard,

Big men Van Gundy had coached with great results. Their first season was mediocre, but things were seen. A better mentality, a more competitive team, and that’s why, for 2015, they decided to double down and aim for the playoffs. Reggie Jackson and Drummond worked well together and continued to grow as players.

KCP was still there. They signed Ilyasova, Marcus Morris, and for the February trade deadline, they acquired Tobias Harris. They finished with 44 wins and 38 losses. The first time in the positive since 2007, almost ten years. However, LeBron James once again swept them in the playoffs, although this time they competed.

Then came the fateful free agency of 2016, where the salary cap skyrocketed, and we saw contracts with very high figures and very absurd contracts. Detroit, of course, participated in it. Everything can be summarized in that perhaps Van Gundy was not as good an executive as a coach

And he wasn’t an elite coach either. After a series of questionable moves, the team was financially tied to that previous core and a couple of added extras that we could discuss if they were good additions. What came next was a tremendous blow

They finished the 2016-17 season with a 37-45 record that left them out of the playoffs. Partly because Reggie Jackson missed about 30 games and partly because the competitive capacity of that squad was limited.

For the next year, they started with a tremendous 14-6 and then in December, they collapsed, and Jackson got injured again. Desperate not to fall into mediocrity again, they made a great trade effort on January 29, Blake Griffin, who had just been renewed by the Clippers, would be traded to Detroit.

Van Gundy was clear about it It’s very difficult to get a star, and although the move had its risks, it was worth taking them.

You have a video on this same channel of Blake Griffin that I would swear is the most viewed. And well, people said he looks quite handsome, so I recommend it. By the way, if you want more NBA content, you can subscribe, leave a like, and let’s continue with the Pistons.

Griffin arrived too late to save the furniture for the Pistons in that season when they also didn’t qualify for the playoffs. After this, they agreed to part ways with Van Gundy, a bit strange knowing that he was in charge of putting the project together. But well, decisions that are made.

Thus came the last great attempt to be competitive. A project with Reggie Jackson, Griffin, and Drummond led by Dwane Casey, who arrived as Coach of the Year after his time with the Raptors. The problem remained the same: they were a mediocre team, hampered, and with more than evident limitations.

Blake Griffin had a spectacular season that I will never tire of advocating because you had to be there to see how he dragged those Pistons into the playoffs. The problem is that he could only achieve that, drag the team.

They barely made it at the last minute; the Bucks swept them, and on top of that, Griffin made so much effort that he broke definitively, practically ending his career. The 2019-2020 season was finally the end. An old roster, prone to injuries, was going nowhere. In February, they traded Drummond, bought out Reggie Jackson

And Griffin could only play 18 games that season. Final record 20-46 due to the bubble and the shortened season And this time, they did decide to bet on a complete rebuild. to bet on a complete and a bit less excuse-heavy rebuild.

Strange, although they also made it necessary, it took ten seasons and destroyed the careers of several players. A fairly critical and problematic balance. Troy Weaver came as General Manager to build a new project from scratch.

They were impressed by his drafting ability and, well, he spent ten years as an assistant in the same position in Oklahoma. Here came Killian Hayes, Stewart, and Saddiq Bey In addition to Jerami Grant in Free Agency and Mason Plumlee as a veteran presence. They also ended up cutting Blake Griffin.

And well, the year was terrible. 2021 Draft, Cade Cunningham lands with the number one pick. Another very complicated year, but with some good moments of play and above all, excitement for Cade But this was part of the team’s plans. It’s very, very, very, very rare to rebuild in two or three seasons.

And well, the draft was exciting Jaden Ivey would be number five and Jalen Duren at number 13. And they were two very good selections. 2022 promised until Cade Cunningham got injured after 12 games and didn’t play again.

In the context of not having your main figure, the team’s goal was to individually explode the rest of the players and anyone they had on hand. For that reason, they also moved to get James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III two very high draft picks, whose careers hadn’t even taken off

The truth is that this didn’t work out well for them, but they did it quite well, because if you think about it, the risk was very low. They hardly had to give anything to get players with a lot of talent. If they had exploded, we would be talking about something else, but since they didn’t, well, low risk, high reward.

In this case, they lost their bet. But it wasn’t that bad. after finishing with the worst record in their history, 17 victories. They also had the possibility and excitement of getting the number one pick in this draft. and get Victor Wembanyama, the beast,

But luck didn’t smile at him, and with their fifth pick, they went for Ausar Thompson. I still think it’s a very good choice, and in fact, their draft part is top-notch. In fact, they have done very, very well.

The team had a lot of talent; Cade would return healthy, and they signed Monty Williams. Damn, I even bought into the narrative of this team. and you have it in a video from the beginning of the season that I recommend watching for laughs. on paper.

It looked very good, but paper is one thing, and reality is a very different thing. Can we point to a single culprit for the historically bad project? I don’t think so, This part of the video is called Almost everyone is guilty, and that “almost” is important

Because, for example, I don’t think Cunningham is a problem. The issue is that they are such a limited and poorly constructed team that very few players would be capable not only of being competitive, but of winning some more games.

Cade generates play for the rest or even completely open baskets, but there are players who can’t make them even with that. Unlike in Philadelphia during The Process, for example, the players who have lost many games are still part of the core of the team.

They are not selecting well who stays and who should leave. There is no sense of responsibility in the squad, even though some players are much worse than others. On the other hand, the losing culture does exist, and it is the clearest example that this is the case.

Several of the kids on the roster have been together for three years and still play just as poorly as the first day or even worse. Mentally, they came in destroyed from the previous two seasons, which were very bad.

And this almost historic losing streak they had, which is the franchise’s worst, doesn’t help anyone. The same thing happened to Monty Williams after revitalizing the Suns and making them a super competitive team. He signed a contract with the Pistons that almost guaranteed him $100 million, crazy. And he has completely sunk,

Admitting to several mistakes regarding the roles and minutes of specific players like Ivey. The positive thing is that he still believes and trusts that they can grow and get out of this disaster, that they have the talent for it, and that they are a good group.

But he also has to take responsibility, work harder, continue looking for solutions and new ideas to improve and win games, even if it’s against other equally bad teams. Be careful this year, although Detroit’s problems are not just the players and the coach because it would be too simplistic to reduce it to that.

Seeing the mess they have, as pointed out by the journalists covering Detroit. Maybe the solutions point to something higher. The Front Office that was exciting in 2020 no longer is Troy Weaver, really drafts very well, but has not been able to build a team Cunningham. Ivey.

Thompson and Duren are four very interesting players to create a core to build upon. But they need to surround them well and work for them to win. They haven’t done that, and now they are mentally overwhelmed by the situation. The biggest problems for this team are two fundamental things in modern NBA

The absence of consistent shooters and the absence of defenders, especially at the small forward position. It’s vital in today’s NBA. They don’t have it, and they are paying a high price. They lack spacing in their own game and they lack defense. Now it’s my turn to propose possible solutions.

One. Don’t get involved in a trade like the one with Blake Griffin. This is simple, and finally, they have flexibility for the next year. Likewise with that salary cap space. Don’t even think about signing two huge contracts or overpaying three competitive players because they would become a mediocre team at best again.

Dragging out this agony is not the way to climb out of the pit. This is linked to my solution number two, which is to identify those three or four players to keep and separate the rest of the team.

They have to find several veterans eager to get their hands dirty and get down to the mud because this has no other name and be patient to completely change the team’s philosophy. And of course, hire more sports psychologists because the morale of these three or four players is also rock bottom.

Be careful with those who arrive. Solution three could be to fire Troy Weaver, or if they don’t want to do that, there’s no need to be afraid to change a general manager, move him to a less powerful position.

It must be recognized that good old Troy drafts very well; I’ve said it several times because he has chosen talents, even in difficult picks, but, as I said, he has been unable to build a good team. And Tom Gores, the owner, already hinted that we could expect changes and more responsibility.

He opened the door to a potential firing of his General Manager and it’s reasonable. Although speaking of taking responsibility, in several of the articles I mentioned to you, they already demand much more responsibility precisely from Gores, the owner, even asking him to sell the franchise.

It’s reasonable because, in the end, he bought the team in 2011, and their last playoff victory was in 2008, three years earlier. In 14 seasons, this team has not managed to win and has barely qualified twice, also suffering two massive sweeps.

It’s depressing for any fan who wants to see their basketball team win, having all these years so mediocre and so bad directly.

Also, This follows the logic of the NBA in terms of operation. The easiest thing to change is the players via trade. Then you can get rid of the coach. Getting rid of an executive with power? Uff, complicated. Getting rid of an owner? Don’t even dream about it, no matter how bad they do.

I would assume that unless he does it out of boredom or reluctance, the owner will not sell the team, but while he can force changes at various levels, trades, or even get rid of the General Manager, which wouldn’t be surprising if it happens at the end of the season.

If he truly doesn’t trust him. and there’s another key point in all of this. Luck in decisions influences a lot. In 2015, they had the eighth pick in the draft, and although Devin Booker wasn’t in the predictions to be chosen by Detroit, he didn’t fall much lower. 2017 was much more painful.

Their choice at number 12 was Luke Kennard, a shooting guard who had a normal career as a role player right at 13. Donovan Mitchell, also a shooting guard, would head to Utah later. The pick with which the Clippers got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in a trade with the Hornets during the draft.

If they were able to do it is because that round the Clippers had they received from Detroit in exchange for Blake Griffin In 2020, Killian Hayes was Detroit’s choice for the point guard position. Who was the next one from this same position chosen? Tyrese Haliburton, who ended up in Sacramento.

These are small things that are not entirely under the franchise’s control. But who knows. Imagine if they had drafted Donovan Mitchell. Maybe he would have taken charge of his progression because the context is very important. Or maybe they would have a star now if they hadn’t moved for Blake Griffin

Maybe that pick would never have gone, and now they would have Shai as a cornerstone or even Haliburton, who was the next point guard selected in his draft.

Or maybe they would have just made a bad choice or a different choice. We don’t know because this is fantasy basketball, and it’s a reality that doesn’t exist. Going back to the previous point, it’s more than evident that Detroit needs a major cultural reset.

My final proposal is to assess which two, three, or four players to keep and change everything else. And if Troy Weaver can’t do it or doesn’t dare: out and let someone come in who changes the dynamics. Do you know what’s the worst? That the 2024 draft doesn’t promise to be particularly brilliant.

The Pistons will almost certainly have a top-four or top-five pick, but from what I’ve been able to read, it doesn’t seem to be precisely a talent-laden class.

Even with that, they have to get it right because they have to continue building the project and, above all, surround them with good veterans with that money they have, but with the mentality of building and not robbing the franchise, which is also complicated.

And for the fans who have made it this far, I know there are several on this channel, there is still a way out. The team has talent, has economic flexibility, and a coach with much more level than he has shown

This season is a demonstration of how horrible and tough reconstructions can be, especially if you mess it up. But you can climb out of the pit and if it’s 15 years of hardship, but who knows even Sacramento, which also went through a lot and a long time in mediocrity.

They could return to the playoffs and even now are very competitive and a team that is very fun to watch.

My summary of this whole video is that hope, well, there is, and in fact, they have to keep it, but they also need big changes. Detroit needs a reset, practically resetting the franchise as a whole, and for that, they have to move, the sooner, the better. The truth

And that’s it. I’m very scared of how this video works because I did it with enthusiasm, with desire, with good documentation, and I think it turned out very well.

But let’s be honest, tackling a video about Detroit takes courage, and if you’re here, you’re absolute legends because, on top of that, it hasn’t been short. Anyway, I really appreciate the support, the likes, the subscriptions, all those things you can do. And those of you who are here probably have already done that.

I also want to remind you that you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and those little things. And I’ll see you in the next video. Take care, and until next time.

Los Detroit Pistons van camino a superar la peor temporada de su historia, récord logrado el año pasado. Ya van 15 años de caídas y fracasos ¿Sin solución?

Porque sí: estos Detroit Pistons son históricamente malos, pero todo pasa por su mala planificación a lo largo de 3 lustros. Desde 2008, y estamos en 2024, han cometido toda una serie de errores en casi todas las cuestiones de planificación deportiva en la NBA.

Desde estirar proyectos mediocres (el equipo del postcampeonato, Andre Drummond y Reggie Jackson, el intento de Blake Griffin y Dwayne Casey…) a elegir MUY mal en el Draft, con muy pocos aciertos y muchos fallos, no han hecho casi nada bien.

Y claro, esto nos lleva a la situación actual: tras abrazar la reconstrucción completa con un nuevo General Manager, Troy Weaver, la realidad es que desde 2020 solo han empeorado el proyecto. Cade Cunningham es un gran número 1, y puede estar muy bien rodeado con Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey o Jalen Duren. Pero el resto de jugadores deberían temer por su futuro

¿Tienen solución los Detroit Pistons? Eso es lo que veremos hoy.
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00:00 La historia reciente de los Pistons es… curiosa
00:43 El final de los últimos Pistons competitivos (2004-2008)
01:21 Transición y mediocridad exagerada (2009-2014)
02:55 Stan Van Gundy: un ligerísimo resurgir (2015-2018)
05:27 Casey y Blake Griffin, el último intento de pelear (2018-2020)
06:38 Más años de fracaso y una temporada históricamente mala (2020-hoy)
08:32 Casi todo el mundo es culpable de esta situación
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La outro es:
Steven Beddall – Sunday Best: https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/sunday-best/94775
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Fuentes
15 años de hundimiento, el artículo que dio vida a este vídeo: https://theathletic.com/5161423/2023/12/26/detroit-pistons-losing-streak-nba-monty-williams/

Saunders nunca se ganó el respeto del equipo: https://www.espn.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=PistonsfireSaunders-080603
El traspaso de Billups fue una amenaza cumplida: https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3679931
Golden State intentó atraer a Van Gundy: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2014/05/13/nba-pistons-hire-stan-van-gundy/9065277/
Van Gundy apostó por Griffin aunque tuviese riesgos: https://eu.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2018/01/30/detroit-pistons-blake-griffin-stan-van-gundy/1079253001/
Monty Williams reconoce algunos de sus errores: https://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/monty-williams-admits-mistake-coaching-pistons-jaden-ivey/627015
Monty sigue confiando en la mejora y salir de esta: https://apnews.com/article/monty-williams-nba-pistons-56e953536f0cc7618aa768690393c269
La única manera de arreglar a los Pistons está más arriba: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2023/11/30/23980579/the-detroit-pistons-lack-of-accountability-starts-with-troy-weaver-and-tom-gores-nba#:~:text=It’s%20a%20puzzle%20without%20a,to%20build%20a%20cohesive%20team.
Troy Weaver no debería estar muy tranquilo, la verdad: https://sports.yahoo.com/pistons-owner-tom-gores-vows-change-is-coming-with-gm-troy-weavers-future-apparently-in-jeopardy-182727412.html
Booker no era candiadto a ser elegido por los Pistons: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/6/25/8844809/nba-draft-devin-booker-detroit-pistons-prospect-breakdown

Esto como regalo, un vídeo de 2 horas hablando de lo que yo he tratado hoy, pero con infinitos detalles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJCX9rFoYng
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Soy David Casas, y desde hace unos años hablo sobre baloncesto y la NBA en YouTube y en mis redes sociales. Para más contenido, lo más sencillo es que te quedes en el canal. Y oye, ya si has llegado hasta aquí, y estás leyendo esto, pues deja un comentario proponiendo algún tema, que a lo mejor tienes una buena idea y sale un buen vídeo.