“If you put winning aside, we have made a very huge difference in the community”: Pistons owner gives staunch response to “sell the team” chants
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores has provided an emphatic response to chants of selling the team following their recent struggles. The Pistons used to be a perennial playoff team, winning the league three times (1989, 1990, 2004). However, those glory days are far behind them now, as they have become one of the bottom feeders.
Since the 2010s, the franchise has failed to produce or attract stars. In the NBA, that means a team will fail to find success regardless of how good their coach or role players are.
In fact, the Pistons have only made the playoffs twice since 2010: 2015-16 and 2018-19, with both times ending in a first-round exit. Some might think that things could not get any worse for them, but this season, they have.
The Pistons have lost 25 straight games and have a 2-26 record on the season. Due to their abysmal performance , fans have called on the ownership to "sell the team," during home games.
In an interview posted on The Athletic, Pistons owner, Gores, though responded to fans seeking an ownership change:
"They can say what they want, but that's ridiculous. Other than winning, and we should win more games - we do a lot in the community." Gores said.
"If you put aside winning, we've made a very big difference in the community. That means a lot to me. I understand that's only going to mean a lot to people if we win, but the underworking of what's happening with our community, over all these years, is there."
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The Pistons' only wins this season came in a back-to-back
The Pistons two consecutive wins happened way back on Oct. 27 and 28, on consecutive game days. They beat the Charlotte Hornets and the Chicago Bulls to start the season 1-2 after dropped their first game against the Miami Heat.
Among the two wins, the win against the Bulls was the most impressive, as they survived a scoring avalanche from explosive swingman Zach Lavine, who scored 51 points. The Pistons were led by Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, who scored 25 and 23 respectively.
Unfortunately, they have not been able to carry the momentum since then and find any success. However, the Pistons have a very young squad, so fans can look forward to the fact that players like Cunningham and Ausar Thompson have shown great potential.