2017-18 Detroit Pistons

[EGrant]

5 game win streak, Friday night, Blake's old team in town, Boban, Tobias and Avery return and what do we get? A blizzard. Interested to see attendance tonight. I'd reconsider going out in this mess if I had tickets.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

5 game win streak, Friday night, Blake's old team in town, Boban, Tobias and Avery return and what do we get? A blizzard. Interested to see attendance tonight. I'd reconsider going out in this mess if I had tickets.

They also gave us a loss, oh well.... Pistons didn't play well. Drummond and Griffin missed a ton of shots in the paint, and Lou Williams took over for the Clippers. He's having a great season, avg 23 pts off the bench for the Clippers. Don't know the numbers, but I saw plenty of empty red seats.

[Smirnoff]

Loss the last 2......including the last place Hawks, appears the honeymoon is over?

[401don]

Loss the last 2......including the last place Hawks, appears the honeymoon is over?

They were just getting past some weak teams during the 5 game streak so it was bound to even up. We won't know if they are better until Jackson returns in 2-3 weeks. Then we have to hope its not too late to squeak into the playoffs.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Not really sure if Reggie is the answer either, he's too sporadic. Just have to wait and see. They have too many teams that are in front of them playing well, Philly, Indiana, Milwaukee... plus they have N.O. coming in tonight, who's also fighting for a playoff spot in the West. Anthony Davis owns them, they need to control him and the rest of the team to get a win.

[Smirnoff]

Plenty of available home seats against the Pelicans.....Wow!

[Smirnoff]

Detroit News Today: Pistons disguise empty LCA seats with black covers; ......One of the bigger issues about the red seats was that they’ve been an eyesore, especially on TV, when there were large pockets of empty seats around the arena. The Pistons have had just five sellouts this season, so the red seats had been a point of emphasis among national media, who have pointed out the Pistons issues with attracting fans in their first year in a new downtown arena they are sharing with the Red Wings.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

In the immortal words of Micheal Ray Richardson, "The ship be sinkin"

[401don]

In the immortal words of Micheal Ray Richardson, "The ship be sinkin"

There may be a connection there. Last time Pistons played downtown was the 1985 playoffs at Joe Louis Arena vs. the Nets. The fan behind us stood up and yelled Michael Ray Richardson! every time he scored. Attendance was only 11,000 for that game.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I expected more from this team, especially after the trade. Looks like the euphoria has worn off. Time is running out, and they are losing ground fast. The defense is horrible and nothing more than effort. Letting teams get to the rim with no resistance, is unacceptable. When it's all said and done, SVG owns this, he put this team together.

[Smirnoff]

I expected more from this team, especially after the trade. Looks like the euphoria has worn off. Time is running out, and they are losing ground fast. The defense is horrible and nothing more than effort. Letting teams get to the rim with no resistance, is unacceptable. When it's all said and done, SVG owns this, he put this team together.

Already feel sorry for the "new" HC that will eventually inherent this mess SVG masterminded.....bottom line: just doesn't have the critical mgmt skills to lead, coach, motivate, gain respect [[the game results prove it).

[Bham1982]

I wonder what Gores thinks of the disappointing attendance. The Pistons at the Palace led the NBA in attendance for many years. Once attendance slumped, the location was blamed, but it was likely the boring, mediocre team.

Downtown was hailed as "more convenient" but attendance has been weak, despite the draw of a brand new venue.

While winning will draw fans even if they played on Mars, I suspect the downtown location is very tough for weekday events. That's a long drive for most of the target demographic, while the Palace was within 20 minutes of most of the region's wealth.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

You are correct on most accounts, fielding a winning team, certainly helps. I think they moved back downtown for convenience, to have all the sports teams in one central location, and to keep the momentum going in Detroit's rebirth. Most in the northern suburbs are probably skeptical about driving down, and I hear the parking is ridiculously high, some lots charging $40.00.

[401don]

You are correct on most accounts, fielding a winning team, certainly helps. I think they moved back downtown for convenience, to have all the sports teams in one central location, and to keep the momentum going in Detroit's rebirth. Most in the northern suburbs are probably skeptical about driving down, and I hear the parking is ridiculously high, some lots charging $40.00.

I really thought more Black residents living in the city and near burbs would attend games. The game I was at looked whiter than the Palace. It's not all about ticket prices for everybody either. You can pick up lower bowl for 45 and uppers for 20 bucks. I see lots more black residents at Lions games, nice restaurants and concerts. I think this is a star driven league and some fans would rather see the visiting star than the home team. Pistons are mediocre and boring. We need to steal Masai Ujiri, the Raptors GM. Their bench is as good as many teams starters and Ujiri found them all late in the draft or through trades.

[Bham1982]

I really thought more Black residents living in the city and near burbs would attend games. The game I was at looked whiter than the Palace.

Most wealthy AAs live the same places as wealthy whites these days. Plenty of AAs in the Bloomfields, Franklin, Orchard Lake, Novi. For example, the Freep has an article today about Jim Caldwell selling his Franklin home. Visit the Whole Foods on Orchard Lake and practically half the shoppers are AA [[granted you don't need to be wealthy to buy fancy groceries, but the shoppers probably lean upper class). West Bloomfield Schools are like 30-40% AA.

And those areas are generally closer to the Palace than LCA, which I think matters on weeknights. Weekends, downtown is probably a better draw.

It's not all about ticket prices for everybody either. You can pick up lower bowl for 45 and uppers for 20 bucks.

So 45x4 [[typical suburban family of 4) + $40 parking + food and souvenirs means around $300 for a night out. Not absurd but pretty high for most households.

But I don't think cost is the main issue. On weeknights, it's time. Even if tickets were free, a guy with little kids living in Franklin isn't going to LCA on a Tuesday night, unless he wants a pissed off spouse.

[401don]

So 45x4 [[typical suburban family of 4) + $40 parking + food and souvenirs means around $300 for a night out. Not absurd but pretty high for most households.

But I don't think cost is the main issue. On weeknights, it's time. Even if tickets were free, a guy with little kids living in Franklin isn't going to LCA on a Tuesday night, unless he wants a pissed off spouse.

Basketball in most cities has always been more of young, single and urban clientele. The Pistons are definitely not drawing this demographic.

[Bham1982]

Basketball in most cities has always been more of young, single and urban clientele. The Pistons are definitely not drawing this demographic.

Well, yeah, maybe they need to attract a new demographic.

I've been to Knicks and Nets games, and the crowd didn't seem that different from Pistons crowds [[lots of middle and upper class families) but if the Pistons want to draw more singles, then this is undoubtedly a better location than the Palace.

This is all anecdotal, but as a kid, I went to lots of weeknight Pistons games through dads of friends, who would have extra tickets or use of corporate suites. Bill Davidson had the opportunity to join the Wings at JLA and opted to do his own thing in the burbs.

[sirrealone]

The team doesn't have an identity. In the 80's and early 90's, they were of course the Bad Boys. The run in the 2000's saw them as the 'Going to Work' team. Those identities helped bond them with the fans. They are missing that right now.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

The team doesn't have an identity. In the 80's and early 90's, they were of course the Bad Boys. The run in the 2000's saw them as the 'Going to Work' team. Those identities helped bond them with the fans. They are missing that right now.

^^This. They've got their "Alleged Star" now, so build around him and Drummond. They need better shooters and scorers. Reggie Bullock has really stepped up his shooting. He's damn near automatic from 3 now.

[Bham1982]

^^This. They've got their "Alleged Star" now, so build around him and Drummond. They need better shooters and scorers. Reggie Bullock has really stepped up his shooting. He's damn near automatic from 3 now.

Yeah, I think the identity thing is the main issue. They have no real stars, no unifying image, and aren't super likable.

They've also been mediocre for years; not good enough for playoff hopes, but not bad enough for lottery dreams. I think once they have an identity they'll draw.

[Hypestyles]

how many games left in the regular season? home games at least?

[DeLemur]

The team doesn't have an identity. In the 80's and early 90's, they were of course the Bad Boys. The run in the 2000's saw them as the 'Going to Work' team. Those identities helped bond them with the fans. They are missing that right now.

Agreed. I always wonder when particularly baseball teams pick players of heritage from their fan base, like the Yankees with A-Rod or Giambi. Or Seattle with Suzuki.

[EGrant]

We can talk about a team identity, new arena, superstars, etc, but clearly, Detroit sports fans will only support a legitimate winner, which is something the Pistons have not been since 2008.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

how many games left in the regular season? home games at least?

9 at home, 14 on the road, including a 6 game West Coast trip. 23 games remaining.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Getting to the point where I'm wasting my time, coming here. Pistons drop another one to Charlotte, and are fading fast, with another loss looming at Toronto on Monday.