Your Detroit Pistons are not the worst NBA club right now, as I write this. Do we need to hoist a banner?
That dubious moniker is temporarily owned by the Washington Wizards, but it won’t last long because the Pistons play the second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.
It wasn’t always the case, but the Cavaliers are currently among the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They were in last place with the Pistons just three seasons ago, but they have improved and are now a contender—something Detroit only imagines itself to be. They have won more games each season.
So how can the Pistons get there? Easy, just follow the Cavaliers.
The Detroit Pistons need stability and improvement at head coach
Before the 2020–21 season, the Cavaliers hired J.B. Bickerstaff as their head coach. However, he only went 22–50 that year, far from the promising start he was hoping for.
Since then, he has won 44 and 51 games, and this year, he is headed for another 50-win campaign.
Monty Williams was hired by the Pistons, but things haven’t gone as planned. The team is struggling this year and will probably finish with the worst record in franchise history.
Just as Bickerstaff cannot claim full credit for his team’s success, neither Monty nor a large portion of it are to blame. Clearly, rosters are more important than coaching staffs, and Cleveland has a strong one because to Troy Weaver’s clever trade ideas involving Joe Harris and Marvin Bagley III.
The Pistons require a coach who can develop along with the team, make changes, put together a lineup of players that are complementary to one another, and overcome obstacles.
Bickerstaff has succeeded in doing so because his roster includes many difficult players. Will Williams be able to go over some of the same challenges?
Establishing a team culture is the first step.
Rigid with righteous wrath, the Detroit Pistons travelled to Chicago the night after being denied a victory over the New York Knicks.
To defeat the Bulls on the road, though, would require more than just fury; the club needed improved performance from its coach and players, and they at least received half of it.
As he did against the Knicks, Cade Cunningham was outstanding once more, scoring 26 points on 9 of 13 shots, dominating the game, and projecting himself as the greatest player on the court.
However, this is nothing new; in his previous 23 games, Cade Cunningham has averaged 24 points, 7.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 41.9 percent from three-point range while shooting 50.6 percent from the field. His turnover rate has decreased to just around three per game, and he is performing at an All-Star level.
The people who were telling me that Cade needed to be exchanged in my inbox and mentions have vanished, which is a pleasant removal from my life. I’m also not hearing much from those who claim that Cade lacks clutch ability after he shut out the Bulls in the fourth quarter. I don’t give a damn if the best player on the Pistons is criticised properly, but shouldn’t we also rejoice when he performs well? I’m done talking.
With seven blocks, including three by Jalen Duren, the Pistons’ starting unit set the tone defensively last night, restricting the Bulls to just 95 points. Isaiah Stewart’s return increased the defensive ferocity, but the Pistons benefited from the Bulls’ 2-of-29 long-range shooting performance. Woof.
The coach of Detroit, who once again used his all-bench lineups and almost cost the Pistons the game, didn’t help matters either.
The Detroit Pistons have to overcome coach Monty Williams
The referees, the Pistons’ own coach, and an opponent are the three people they face every night.
Williams keeps going back to his all-bench units, and he did it again last night, despite the fact that he has received unending criticism for it and a tonne of measurable evidence showing that it HAS NEVER WORKED.
When Monty “Destroyer of Leads” Williams made his final substitution to start an all-bench lineup late in the first quarter, the Pistons were leading 17–16. With around 9:35 remaining in the second quarter, the Bulls were ahead 34-25 when Monty cruelly called timeout. This is the 10-point swing that occurs every time he does this. The Bulls immediately embarked on a huge run and built up an 11-point lead.
Locked in caps HAS THIS MAN GONE BLIND? How is it that an NBA coach with experience can’t see what is obvious to any casual Twitter user? ARE THE AUTHORITIES ABLE TO BE INCLUDED?
Pistons make a baffling cut of Mike Muscala
