Edwards: Pistons fans deserve better than 25th loss and a chance at dubious history

DETROIT — Pistons fans are better than me.

If this were my team, I wouldn’t have made my way to Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night to watch my squad potentially lose its 25th straight game. Detroit fans did, though. Nearly every seat had a butt in it. Four days away from Christmas, I wouldn’t have paid for a ticket, the $50 for parking, gas, food and whatever other expenses it costs to see a ballgame in person these days. That money could go toward gifts, a nice dinner. Pistons fans, though, decided it was more important to do their part in not letting history be made.

I would have left in the first quarter, the moment I checked the box score and saw Detroit had seven turnovers against an already-stinky Utah Jazz team that was without a handful of starters/rotation players. Pistons fans, instead, got louder as the game went on. At the very least, I would have left midway through the fourth quarter, the moment the team two losses short of tying the worst single-season losing streak in NBA history started to collapse yet again, in hopes of maybe beating traffic. Pistons fans stayed. They cheered. They believed. They hoped.

They don’t deserve this.

A 119-111 loss to the Jazz felt like the absolute bottom for a Detroit team that thought it couldn’t fall any further. Forget the players that Utah had out. The Jazz played in Cleveland the night before. The game against the Pistons was their third game in four days. Yet, Utah had a combined 50 points off of turnovers and second-chance points. Detroit had 28. Those are hustle stats. To put it more bluntly, “I want it more than you” stats.

Think about that.

The team that had every reason to accept a loss, pack its things and get back on a plane to Salt Lake City walked into Detroit as if coming out with a victory was a life-or-death situation. And the team in the midst of a 24-game losing skid, just a few games away from being on the wrong side of history and with a packed arena that had every reason not to be there, crumbled, folded and laid down.

“This is incredibly hard to understand,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said.

Fans love this basketball team. How do I know? Go back to the 2000s, when Detroit’s old arena, The Palace of Auburn Hills, led the NBA in attendance year after year after year. If you put together a good product, the people will come. They won’t want to leave.

I also interact with these people every day, both online and in person. Their frustrations are built out of love. No one is angry about something they don’t care about.

These fans show up more than you think to support this team — believe it or not, 2-26 Detroit, which hasn’t won a game in 54 days, ranks 15th in total attendance in the NBA. They show up proudly, with smiles and optimism. Jerseys. Hoodies. Hats. Whatever they can get their hands on that flashes the Pistons logo, they wear it. When, at this point, they should be showing up with brown paper bags over their heads — like in 2008 when the Lions went 0-16. This is that bad because it doesn’t feel like it’s getting better anytime soon.

There needs to be a change of some sort. This can’t go on. No matter how many times the players say, “We’re all we got,” or, “No one is going to come save us,” or, “We can turn this around,” it’s very clear now that isn’t the case. This isn’t working. This team, as is, has a shattered spirit.

Detroit doesn’t need to mortgage its future for a quick fix. That wouldn’t be smart. However, a shakeup needed to happen yesterday. This group has fallen too deep into the abyss. A new face, fresh perspective or something, anything different feels like the only way for this organization to reward its fan base with something other than a win every two months.

Everyone is to blame for this. The players turn the ball over too much. They miss open shots. The coaching staff continues to rely on a bench that hasn’t played well since the World Series was taking place. The handling of certain players may have led to this group being spiritless. The front office put too much on the shoulders of players who should still be in college. The roster is lacking reliable wings. Ownership may have been more interested in winning the news conference than making sure the coach was, indeed, the best person for the job at this stage of the rebuild.

It’s all related. All of it is the reason the Pistons are where they are today, on pace to be arguably the worst team in NBA history,

This is a historic franchise that loses its luster with each passing season. Detroit hasn’t won a playoff game since 2008. The Pistons have made the playoffs just three times since then. One of the most decorated organizations in the history of the NBA has been living under the basement for almost two decades. That doesn’t even feel right.

A reset is needed. Even though Detroit started over just a few years ago, it may need to start over again.

This can’t keep going on. Something has to change. Because the fans don’t deserve this.

(Top photo of Bojan Bogdanovic and Cade Cunningham: Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images)