Troy Weaver feels your pain, Pistons fans. And he says Tom Gores does, too.
Amid one of the worst seasons in NBA history in the fourth year of a grueling rebuild, Weaver told 97.1 The Ticket's Restore the Floor podcast, "I can relate to the fans' disappointment, but that’s because they have high expectations."
"And we don’t want that to change," Weaver said. "We want them to continue to support us and have those expectations, and it’s our jobs to come out and perform and put a product out there that they can be proud of."
The Pistons are 8-43, on track for the worst season in franchise history, which they narrowly avoided last year. Their winning percentage has declined each of the past three seasons. Weaver says they've added young talent to the roster, which is true, but it hasn't translated to success or cohesion on the court.
Gores, meanwhile, has preached faith in Weaver's plan from his mansion in Malibu. He was the driving force behind the Pistons' decision last summer to make Monty Williams the highest-paid coach in the NBA, a move that so far has backfired. Weaver, who was hired by Gores in the summer of 2020, says "ownership has been tremendous."
"Supporting us and making sure that we have everything (we need), but more importantly, pushing us to continue to improve at every turn," he said.
Of course, Gores has watched most of the losing -- and heard all of the Sell The Team!" chants this season -- from a safe, comfortable distance. Asked if the owner with an estimated net worth of $9.1 billion hurts like the fans in Detroit, Weaver said, "Absolutely. We all hurt. We’re the Detroit Pistons, a proud, storied franchise. Of course we hurt."
"He hurts more than anyone. He’s the leader of it. It trickles down to the rest of us, but absolutely he hurts. He’s been ten toes in, in leading us and guiding us," Weaver said.
While the present is grim for the Pistons, Weaver went on to dispute the idea that their outlook is bleak: "The future's bright here."
"We've got some really good young players," he said. "This young core, you watched us the last four or five games, we’re getting these guys healthy and back on the floor. It’s exciting times ahead of us.
"So we’re not in dire needs or straits like we got a bunch of older guys or a bunch of young guys who aren’t on their way. We got a good, exciting young core that’s really going to take shape and restore the Pistons."