WEBVTT - #thisleague UNCUT: The Pistons' Historic Streak

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to this League Uncut. You rule a twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>hour NBA news. This news you, Chris Haines. It's time,

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<v Speaker 1>work's time, It's so time. This League Uncut is underway

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<v Speaker 1>and on five this should be a good one.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey, everyone, welcome in to the latest edition of This

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<v Speaker 2>League Uncut. A solo essay edition of This League Uncut.

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<v Speaker 2>My dear friend Chris Haynes and I we've both been

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<v Speaker 2>on the run since the NBA's five game Christmas Day buffet.

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<v Speaker 2>We will connect again very soon to resume usual service.

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<v Speaker 2>But what happened Tuesday night in the NBA. It demanded

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<v Speaker 2>an immediate response because man t seven losses in a

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<v Speaker 2>row twenty seven. Remember you have to get twenty seven

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<v Speaker 2>outs in a row in baseball to pitch a perfect game.

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<v Speaker 2>Losing a completely blemished twenty seven NBA games in a

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<v Speaker 2>row in the modern NBA, that is really, really, really

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<v Speaker 2>hard to do. And yet it really just happened Tuesday

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<v Speaker 2>night Nets one point eighteen Pistons one to twelve in Detroit.

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<v Speaker 2>And I've written extensively on this on my substack as well.

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<v Speaker 2>This losing streak, it honestly goes back to mid May

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<v Speaker 2>for the Pistons, it's lasted longer than six months. As

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<v Speaker 2>bad as the last few nights have been for Detroit,

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<v Speaker 2>they couldn't beat a severely weakened Jazz team at home

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<v Speaker 2>to avoid lost number twenty five in a row. They

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<v Speaker 2>couldn't figure out how to beat the Nets in either

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<v Speaker 2>half of a home and home to stop this thing

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<v Speaker 2>before it got to twenty six and now the single

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<v Speaker 2>season record twenty seven consecutive defeats. However, as low as

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<v Speaker 2>these last few clinching ls have left the Pistons Tuesday, amazingly,

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<v Speaker 2>that was not the worst day of twenty twenty three

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<v Speaker 2>for this beleaguered franchise. Super bad, Yes, it was super bad.

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<v Speaker 2>Not the low point, though. Nothing hit the Pistons harder

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<v Speaker 2>than what happened in Chicago on May sixteenth. I was

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<v Speaker 2>there in the room in Chicago when the NBA draft

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<v Speaker 2>lottery dropped the Pistons. They had the league's worst record

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<v Speaker 2>in the league remember last season worst record seventeen and

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<v Speaker 2>sixty five. The lottery results dropped the Pistons as far

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<v Speaker 2>as they could mathematically plummet in the Victor Wemberyama Sweepstakes.

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<v Speaker 2>Detroit cratered that day from a potential number one in

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<v Speaker 2>the draft all the way down to number five, and

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<v Speaker 2>that was true devastation because that was their shot at Wenby.

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<v Speaker 2>You have to say, though, that Tuesday Night was plenty

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<v Speaker 2>devastating in its own right. These Pistons have now lost

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<v Speaker 2>more games in a single season than any other team

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<v Speaker 2>across the NBA's seventy eight seasons. And part of what

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<v Speaker 2>makes it so hard to take when you're looking at

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<v Speaker 2>the circumstances surrounding the two teams that they've just supplanted

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<v Speaker 2>on this list that nobody wants to be on Detroit's

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<v Speaker 2>twenty seven game skid. Just say it out loud again,

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<v Speaker 2>twenty seven game skid. That's one lost longer than both

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<v Speaker 2>the twenty ten to eleven Cleveland Cavaliers, who had just

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<v Speaker 2>lost Lebron James to the Heatles in free agency. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>they lost him to the heat and then they became

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<v Speaker 2>the Heatles with Lebron, as well as the twenty thirteen

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<v Speaker 2>to fourteen Process Sixers, who were trying to lose for

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<v Speaker 2>draft position. These Pistons were not trying to lose the season. Remember,

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<v Speaker 2>they started the season with dreams of a playing spot

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<v Speaker 2>in the East seriously playing spot. That was the that

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<v Speaker 2>was the target, the minimum target that this team thought

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<v Speaker 2>it was competing for. Pistons again, they were two to

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<v Speaker 2>one on October twenty eighth, after surviving zach Lavine's fifty

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<v Speaker 2>one points to win their home opener. And yes, you

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<v Speaker 2>heard me correctly. It's the same zach Lavine who the

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<v Speaker 2>Chicago Bulls so badly want a trade. Now, there have

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<v Speaker 2>been eight fifty point games registered this season by the

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<v Speaker 2>various scoring machines all around the league. The first of

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<v Speaker 2>those came from zach Lavine. He went for fifty at

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<v Speaker 2>Little Caesar's Arena October twenty eighth, and somehow Detroit survived that.

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<v Speaker 2>Since then, I don't really know that we can use

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<v Speaker 2>the words celebrated here, but exaggerated air quotes you can employ.

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<v Speaker 2>The Pistons have celebrated Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas without

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<v Speaker 2>adding a single win to that total. Now, in the

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<v Speaker 2>interest of being ultra factual here, we must point out

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<v Speaker 2>that the Wembin Yama led Spurs at four and twenty

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<v Speaker 2>five entering Wednesday's play, not much better off in the

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<v Speaker 2>standings than the two and twenty eight Pistons. The massive difference,

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<v Speaker 2>of course, is that San Antonio has the seven foot

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<v Speaker 2>five Wembin Yama to build around. So Spurs fans, no

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<v Speaker 2>matter how bad the present is, they have tangible dreams

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<v Speaker 2>and reason to at least imagine picture a return to

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<v Speaker 2>glory down the road. Poor Pistons fans right now, they

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<v Speaker 2>only see despair, an uncertainty, and an extremely lonely Cad

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<v Speaker 2>Cunningham who's playing quite well. That's what they're looking at now,

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<v Speaker 2>after a decade plus of team building that has absolutely

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<v Speaker 2>gone awry. Think about this. Detroit essentially entered this current

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<v Speaker 2>rebuilding mode as far back as the twenty nineteen twenty season.

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<v Speaker 2>That's when they traded Andre Drummond to Cleveland, they bought

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<v Speaker 2>out Reggie Jackson. Blake Griffin only played in eighteen of

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<v Speaker 2>sixty six games that season, the pandemic shortened season. Blake

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<v Speaker 2>Griffin was bought out that following season in twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty one. So the Pistons, these guys are in

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<v Speaker 2>year three of this supposed rebuild. And that's if we're

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<v Speaker 2>being nice with the way we count, and even if

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<v Speaker 2>we are being gentle by saying year three rather than

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<v Speaker 2>year four, that's the most minuscule of concessions you can

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<v Speaker 2>make at a time when last season's record, that's seventeen

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<v Speaker 2>and sixty five record, when Cad Cunningham was limited to

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<v Speaker 2>twelve games last season before he had to undergo season

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<v Speaker 2>ending shin surgery. When seventeen and sixty five feels so

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<v Speaker 2>far out of reach and the calendar hasn't even flipped

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<v Speaker 2>to January first yet, I don't really know how nice

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<v Speaker 2>were being. I mean, the Pistons in their current state,

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<v Speaker 2>they're gonna need an eight and forty four finish, which

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<v Speaker 2>you could actually classify as an eight and forty four

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<v Speaker 2>surge when you have only won two of your first

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<v Speaker 2>thirty games. They're gonna have to go eight and forty

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<v Speaker 2>four to finish better than the nineteen seventy two seventy

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<v Speaker 2>three Philadelphia seventy six ers who went nine and seventy three.

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<v Speaker 2>If you really study the history books, you'll note that

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<v Speaker 2>the Charlotte Hornets of twenty eleven twelve. Those Hornets went

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<v Speaker 2>seven to fifty nine during a lockout shortened season that

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<v Speaker 2>only lasted sixty six games. The Hornets fared worse than

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<v Speaker 2>those infamous seventy six ers percentage wise, but it's really

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<v Speaker 2>the nine and seventy three mark through the years that

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<v Speaker 2>has retained the greater historical relevance in terms of a

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<v Speaker 2>symbol of futility. But the Pistons right now they are

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<v Speaker 2>on a five and seventy seven pace five and seventy seven.

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<v Speaker 2>This team has the chance to possibly knock both the

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<v Speaker 2>nine and seventy three Sixers and the seven and fifty

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<v Speaker 2>nine Hornets. They might knock both of these teams out

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<v Speaker 2>of the record books. The franchise has a three sixty

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<v Speaker 2>eight winning percentage since the start of the twenty eleven

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<v Speaker 2>twelve season under Tom Gores as majority owner. That's three

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<v Speaker 2>fifty eight and six fourteen in Gores' twelve full seasons.

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<v Speaker 2>The once proud Pistons, they've made the playoffs twice. They

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<v Speaker 2>haven't won a playoff game since two thousand and eight. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>I've got to put my own hand up here and

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<v Speaker 2>say that in the offseason I applauded goers for spending

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<v Speaker 2>so much to bring in Monty Williams because the Pistons

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<v Speaker 2>aren't making free agent splashes with on court free agents,

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<v Speaker 2>so a lot of people looked at that contract nearly

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<v Speaker 2>eighty million over six years. It shocked a lot of people,

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<v Speaker 2>but I did see it as a breakthrough moment four

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<v Speaker 2>Gores and the Pistons. To me, it was a clear

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<v Speaker 2>dub inspired by that old maxim that tells us there's

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<v Speaker 2>no salary cap when it comes to coaches. There is

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<v Speaker 2>no way now when you evaluate the Pistons and their situation,

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<v Speaker 2>that you can apply that kind of analysis now. League

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<v Speaker 2>sources told me that Gores met with various players as

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<v Speaker 2>well as GM Troy Weaver and Monti Williams a week

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<v Speaker 2>ago today in Detroit, both in search of answers behind

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<v Speaker 2>closed doors, and it was an attempt to lift spirits

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<v Speaker 2>that didn't work either. The next night was the game

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<v Speaker 2>against Utah, where the Jazz were resting numerous regulars and

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<v Speaker 2>the Pistons lost at home one nineteen one to eleven.

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<v Speaker 2>No market In, no Clarkson, no Keyante George, no Taylor,

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<v Speaker 2>Horton Tucker still couldn't beat the Jazz, who were playing

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<v Speaker 2>on the second night of a back to back. And

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<v Speaker 2>part of what has to make this so galling and

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<v Speaker 2>hard for Pistons fans to accept It was roughly a

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<v Speaker 2>year ago at this time that the Pistons they were

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<v Speaker 2>actively resisting external trade interest in guys like Boyan Bogdanovich

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<v Speaker 2>and Alec Burks. It happened again during the summer. They

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<v Speaker 2>wanted to keep quality veterans on the roster so that

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<v Speaker 2>a young core led by Cad Cunningham and Jalen Duran

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<v Speaker 2>would have win now players around them, and again the

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<v Speaker 2>hope was to make a push at worst for a

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<v Speaker 2>play in spot in this season's East. Now the Pistons

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<v Speaker 2>awoke Wednesday already eleven games behind the tenth seeded Bowls,

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<v Speaker 2>the fourteen and eighteen Bowls, who won't even have Levine

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<v Speaker 2>back on the floor until some point in the new year,

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<v Speaker 2>and who just lost Nikolovucevich to an injury as well.

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<v Speaker 2>It's become a very grim game throughout the NBA to

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<v Speaker 2>look at the Pistons' upcoming schedule and try to figure

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<v Speaker 2>out how many more holidays are going to pass before

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<v Speaker 2>they finally win again. Are we talking New Year's Day?

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<v Speaker 2>Are we talking Valentine's Day? The best upcoming opportunities to

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<v Speaker 2>scrounge a win would appear to be on Saturday. They've

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<v Speaker 2>got a home date with Toronto. The Raptors are eleven

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<v Speaker 2>and eighteen and going in the wrong direction. The Pistons

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<v Speaker 2>have a January third rematch with Utah, that one's in

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<v Speaker 2>Salt Lake City, and on January tenth, they've got the

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<v Speaker 2>Spurs in town with mister wenman Yama himself. You'd probably

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<v Speaker 2>have an easier chance though, trying to predict when the

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<v Speaker 2>Pistons are going to find that win than trying to

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<v Speaker 2>pinpoint their next shot at a Wembe level prize in

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<v Speaker 2>the draft. Because the twenty twenty four draft do not

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<v Speaker 2>expect anything resembling last season's anticipation and hooplah, the widespread

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<v Speaker 2>sentiment around the league is that the top of the

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<v Speaker 2>draft board in June it's gonna be far more underwhelming

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<v Speaker 2>than usual. And the simple translation when you boil all

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<v Speaker 2>that down is this is a bad season for the

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<v Speaker 2>franchise once famed for their title winning bad boys to

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<v Speaker 2>be super bad. All right, everyone, that's gonna do it.

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<v Speaker 2>For this quickie solo monologue edition of This League Uncut,

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<v Speaker 2>I repeat, Chris and I will be back with you

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<v Speaker 2>very very soon this week. As always, please remember to rate, review,

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<v Speaker 2>and subscribe to the show if you haven't already. Thanks

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<v Speaker 2>for listening, and.

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<v Speaker 1>That'll do it for us, See you next time. This

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<v Speaker 1>League Uncut is an iHeartRadio production. It's good marks time