2017-18 Detroit Pistons preview: Fans prepare for the best and fear the worst
Last year was depressing for Pistons fans, and it’s hard for them to get that taste out of their mouths.
Last year was supposed to be a big step forward for the Pistons. Instead, it was a major step back, and all the optimism from an encouraging 2015-16 season is gone. That’s at least based on the response we got from our three Piston fan guests: SBNation.com deputy editor John Ketchum, SBNation.com social producer Kofie Yeboah, and Detroit Bad Boys editor Lazarus Jackson.
Among the topics discussed:
- Same players. Same coach. Same mix. What the heck happened last year?
- Reggie Jackson had an awful year last year. Was it all because of his knee injury? Can he look more like 2015-16 Reggie Jackson this year?
- Were fans surprised that the Pistons ditched Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to then trade for Avery Bradley? This was the most upbeat part of the podcast, surprisingly enough.
- Stanley Johnson has to step up this year. How confident are fans that’ll happen? (Not very confident).
- Andre Drummond ... sigh. That’s all.
- To make this discussion worse, we play Max/Play/Trade with Reggie, Dre, and Stanley.
- An extended conversation about the pros and cons of the Pistons moving into a downtown arena.
- Bad Boys Pistons or ‘04 Pistons? Plus, how well would the ‘04 Pistons fare in the modern era?
- Some odd banana boat combinations.
- Bringing this back full circle: This is Year 4 of the Stan Van Gundy era. What are the chances this ends well?
Plus, predictions, best/worst-case scenarios, and more sadness. C’mon, y’all.
This podcast was part of the Limited Upside podcast’s 2017-18 offseason series previewing all 30 NBA teams with members of SB Nation’s team communities and other friends of the show. We’ve spent the last two-and-a-half months gauging the temperature of every fan base heading into what should be a terrific NBA season. There’s no better way to understand what makes NBA fans in each market tick.
We began these in August and counted down worst-to-first leading up to the season. Here’s how to listen to them all:
- Nets with Kristian Winfield and Nets Daily’s Anthony Puccio
- Lakers with Zito Madu and Silver Screen and Roll’s Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen
- Suns with Bright Side of the Sun’s Dave King and Evan Sidery
- 76ers with Tyler Tynes and Liberty Ballers’ Kyle Neubeck
- Knicks with Kristian Winfield and Posting and Toasting’s Seth Rosenthal
- Magic with Orlando Pinstriped Post’s Zach Oliver and Cory Hutson
- Kings with Kenny Carraway and Sactown Royalty’s Tony Xypteras
- Mavs with Tim Cato and Mavs Moneyball’s Kirk Henderson
- Wolves with Canis Hooups’ Eric Goldman and John Meyer
- Pelicans with The Bird Writes’ Oleh Kosel and Travis Tate
- Hornets with James Dator and At the Hive’s Nicklaus Denning
- Pistons with John Ketchum, Kofie Yeboah and Detroit Bad Boys’ Lazarus Jackson
- Nuggets with Denver Stiffs’ Adam Mares
- Heat with Kelly Cohen and Hot Hot Hoops’ Surya Fernandez
- Bulls with Ricky O’Donnell and Blog a Bull’s Jason Patt
- Pacers with Whitney Medworth and Indy Cornrows’ Caitlin Cooper
- Blazers with Blazers Edge’s Brian Freeman and Peter Sampson
- Bucks with Kevin McCauley and Brew Hoop’s Mitchell Maurer
- Hawks with Harry Lyles Jr. and Peachtree Hoops’ Brad Rowland
- Grizzlies with Grizzly Bear Blues’ Joe Mullinax
- Thunder with Eddie Maisonet and Welcome to Loud City’s Joshua Broom
- Thunder addendum! Carmelo Anthony trade emergency pod with Eddie Maisonet
- Wizards with Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Sharp and Bullets Forever’s Michael Sykes
- Jazz with SLC Dunk’s Mychal Lowman and James Hansen.
- Raptors with Raptors HQ’s Daniel Reynolds and freelance writer Seerat Sohi
- Cavaliers with Fear the Sword’s Chris Manning and MMA Fighting’s Eric Jackman
- Clippers with Clips Nation’s Lucas Hann and former L.A. video coordinator Mo Dakhil
- Celtics with Paul Flannery and Celtics Blog’s Nick Gelso
- Rockets with The Dream Shake’s Ethan Rothstein and Jeremy Brener
- Spurs with Pounding the Rock’s J.R. Wilco and Bruno Passos
- Warriors with Golden State of Mind’s Bram Kincheloe
