The Pistons were the worst team in the NBA last season by five games and they’re not faring any better this year. Detroit is off to a dreadful 2-15 start after getting blown out 126-107 by the Wizards for Washington’s third win of the season.
Trysta Krick of the Audacy original podcast “Heat Check with Trysta Krick” ripped into the Pistons front office after the team’s pitiful performance against the Wizards.
“My question for you is who is a winning player on this team? Anybody? Has anybody done anything of note at any level at any point in their career on this Detroit Pistons team?” Krick said (11:48 in player above). “Why did you draft Luka Garza? Why did you draft Killiam Hayes at seven? Why did you trade two second-round picks for Joe Harris?
“It boils down to this: I’m starting to think this organization doesn’t know what they’re doing. I’m starting to believe that this organization believes they’re at the antique roadshow and they can identify antiquities that have value that no one else can figure out a way to make work – James Wiseman, Marvin Bagley, both number two overall picks – and that they have the skills to develop those guys who have been busts elsewhere into some sort of star. I am sorry. You don’t know how to identify talent or antiquities and you sure as hell don’t know how to restore them.”
The Pistons have made the playoffs just three times since reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2008. Those three playoff appearances resulted in sweeps against the Cavaliers twice (2009 and 2016) and Bucks (2019).
Since that 2019 sweep at the hands of the Bucks, the Pistons haven’t had a win percentage above .303. While those poor finishes netted them high draft picks, the Pistons haven’t hit on any of them.
“How do you fix the Pistons? I’m starting to believe that the way that you fix it is to rip the whole thing out and burn it down,” Krick said. “The whole thing smells like must. It smells fishy. It smells like me when I’ve been standing out in the rain. It smells a little too much like wet dog to me. It’s gross, folks!
“Tear it up. Rip it apart. Fire everyone. And figure out a way to get better people in there to find talent, develop talent, and build a damn roster. They might be in for cleaning house soon and I am fired up about how not just how the Pistons got here but how they consistently stay here.
“How they are allowed to operate without account because I know a lot of people who do their jobs quite well and they still lose them. These people in basketball, they continue to stay mediocre, stay bad, and stay employed.”