Sports

These Pistons are just plain…… bad

By: Alex LaGrone

This year's version of the Detroit Pistons "Bad Boys" is certainly not the kind of bad the fans were looking for.  "I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it" could have been this year’s anthem. The Pistons will miss the playoffs again for the fifth consecutive year. To say the Pistons underachieved this season would be an understatement. The off-season additions of Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings were supposed to make the Pistons one of the most exciting teams in the league.

The Pistons got off to a slow start and never improved as the team struggled through a miserable 29-53 season. Coach Maurice Cheeks did not even make it through his first season as head coach, he was fired in February. One of the main issues the Pistons has been chemistry; not only on the court but in the locker room as well. You had Jennings calling out teammates, others finger pointing. Realistically, the Pistons simply didn't have the talent they thought they had.

The Pistons first round draft pick, shooting guard, Kentavious Caldwell- Pope showed what he could do by scoring 30 points in the team’s final game of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It makes you wonder if the Pistons used his talent the right way this season or was this just a one game flash in the pan.

One decision that the team will definitely make is appointing a new president. The Pistons decided not to renew Joe Dumars' contract as president of basketball operations. Dumars made some good moves early on, but also made some risky moves that backfired. 

In 2008, Dumars traded popular player Chauncey Billups in a deal that brought in Allen (practice) Iverson; that didn't work out well. Neither did the decisions to sign Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to big contracts during the 2009 season. Team owner, Tom Gores, stated "Dumars is a great champion who has meant a lot to this franchise and this community. We are turning the page with great respect for what he has accomplished". As of now, Dumars will be with the team as an advisor.

"It's been tough" guard Rodney Stuckey said after the final game of the season. From day one, our mindset was making the playoffs, and unfortunately we didn't do that. We underachieved, and now we're going home. There's always next year. To be honest, I really don't know what we need. That's not my decision." 

No doubt, the Pistons should make some drastic changes for next season. Time will tell on what that might be. The Pistons have nowhere to go but up from here. 

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