It might be time for some serious changes for the Pistons
This isn't the Detroit Pistons team many were expecting this season.
This was supposed to be the season former first-overall pick Cade Cunningham took a step to superstardom alongside backcourt-mate Jaden Ivey. This was supposed to be a young up-and-coming team that could potentially be a sneaky play-in game pick.
Instead, the Pistons are 2-15 and riding a nasty 14-game losing streak. They're the worst team in the NBA by far, and there is no end in sight to their misery after losing 126-107 to the 3-14 Washington Wizards on Monday night.
It was the battle between the stoppable force and the movable object, but Washington at the very least had a win in its last 10 games to hang its hat on before Monday's win
This is not to say Detroit is hopeless. Cunningham has shown signs of superstardom and it's worth remembering that because of the shin surgery he underwent last season, he's still under 100 games played as a pro. There is enough "there" there to assume that, at the very least, he can be an All-Star-level talent.
Ivey has also shown flashes of greatness, especially since he got out of head coach Monty Williams' dog house and is now once again a starter. He's averaged 17 points a game in three starts so far, including 25 points in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Cunningham and Ivey can still be the backcourt of the future for this team. That's not even to mention rookie Ausar Thompson, who is raw but already one of the best defenders in the NBA.
The core is still there, but this losing streak has been both unbearable and unacceptable. If Detroit loses to Washington on Monday Night, it would be the kind of demoralizing loss that could really shake a young team and without serious changes in the organization as a result, it could doom the aforementioned talented core.
What could those changes be?
The most obvious would be owner Tom Gores firing general manager Troy Weaver, who has put very little effort into building a modern roster around his former top pick in Cunningham.
A more serious shakeup would be a trade that could at least infuse some ready-to-play-now talent into the roster.
Detroit does have tradeable assets in players like forward Isaiah Stewart or a healthy Bojan Bogdanovic. Each player alone isn't valuable but a well-thought-out package deal could land the Pistons something to work with moving forward.
There's also the "break glass in case of emergency" option that would feature a trade of either Cunningham or Ivey. That can't be off the table if the Pistons are serious about turning this thing around.
Either way, something would have to change, because the losing has gone on far too long in Detroit.
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