There may not be a more terrible sports franchise right now than the Detroit Pistons.
A loss to the Brooklyn Nets the day after Christmas extended the Pistons' losing streak to 27 games, the longest in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. The previous record of 26 consecutive losses was jointly held by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers.
As things stand, the Pistons are 2-28, winning just 6.7% of their games so far, on pace to break the lowest winning percentage in NBA history belonging to the Charlotte Bobcats team. 2011-12 they won only 10.6% of their games. .
What makes the Pistons' situation even bleaker is that the team has been horrible for quite some time. He has finished with a bottom-five record in the NBA in each of the last five seasons.
The positive side of a series of bad seasons is that it tends to result in a top pick, and this season was setting up to be a showcase of the potential of some of the Pistons' young studs.
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The team hired Monty Williams to a then-record six-year, $78.5 million contract to be its head coach. Williams provided hope on the sidelines considering he was just two years away from leading a Phoenix Suns team out of the league's slump and into the NBA Finals.
But all the optimism has led to this point: 2023-24 Detroit is one of the worst teams in NBA history.
The historic loss has led fans to begin calling for ownership to sell the team.
The team is owned by Tom Gores, owner of the private equity firm Platinum Equity. Gores and his company purchased the team in 2011 for $325 million, and his investment has grown nearly 1,000% in just over a decade, as the team is now worth $3.08 billion. according to Forbes.
But Gores' leadership has not produced success on the court. Since Gore took over in 2011, the team has only made the playoffs twice, both times as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference before being easily eliminated in the first round.
The Pistons haven't won a playoff series since 2008.
On a video call after the team's 25th straight loss on Thursday, Gores addressed the media about the state of the equipment. Like many of the fans, he admitted that he had a positive attitude at the beginning of the season, but now he knows that changes need to be made.
“I was very optimistic at the beginning of the season about what this team could do and felt like it had a bright future. I still feel that way. But do we need to change some things? Absolutely,” Gores said.
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He added that he believes he deserves blame to “some level” for the situation, and that his general manager, Troy Weaver, does too.
“If you want to put the blame on anyone, it's on Troy and I. We made these decisions. What you don't see now, what the fans don't see, is the cleanup of everything. We're at the most flexible time during my ownership with the Pistons. In terms of how we're not performing and so on, I think it has to continue with Troy and I. “It all starts there,” Gores said.
But when asked about fans' pleas to sell the team, Gores responded vehemently.
“They can say whatever they want, but that's ridiculous,” Gores said. “Besides winning, and we should win more games, we do a lot in the community. The players, the organization, we do a lot in the community. If you put aside the wins, we've made a big difference in the community. That means a lot to me… I understand that fans are upset, but it's a ridiculous thought.”
Despite Gores' rejection, fans continued their plea during the team's record loss on Tuesday.
Deafening chants of “selling the team” #pistons pic.twitter.com/mmWvAeNKHQ
– Eric Vicente (@IAmEricVincent) December 27, 2023
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