Pistons owner Tom Gores hits back at fans chanting “Sell the team!” amid horrendous 26-game losing streak: “That’s ridiculous”

Detroit Pistons made history in a wrong way by losing their 26th straight game.

Pistons owner Tom Gores hits back at fans chanting “Sell the team!” amid horrendous 26-game losing streak: “That’s ridiculous”

Tom Gores and Detroit Pistons players (Image via 100.5 the river and Detroit Bad Boys)

Tom Gores, the owner of the Detroit Pistons, responded forcefully to cries that the team should be sold after their recent setbacks. The Pistons were once a surefire playoff contender and are three-time league champions (1989, 1990, 2004). Those days are long gone though, as they are now considered one of the keepers. The franchise could not attract or produce stars since the 2010s.

Gores addressed a small group of reporters late on Friday night, including Omari Sankofa II, the beat writer for the Free Press. He was asked him about the experience of hearing supporters yell “sell the team,” as they did on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena during the Pistons’ loss to the Utah Jazz. It was the team’s 25th straight loss, and brought them one game away from the all-time record of consecutive losses.

However, Gores addressed the calls in the interview which was published in The Athletic. He said,

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They can say what they want, but that's ridiculous. Other than winning, we should win more games and we do a lot in the community. If you put aside winning, we have made a very big difference in the community.

Since 2010, the Pistons have only made it to the postseason twice, in 2015–16 and 2018–19, both of which resulted in an elimination in the first round. After losing to the Brooklyn Nets 126-115 on Saturday night, Detroit tied the league record for the longest losing streak in a single season. The Pistons finished 2–27 in their first season underneath Monty Williams before joining the 2010–11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013–14 Philadelphia 76ers.

Detroit Pistons’ performance under Tom Gores

Despite multiple lottery selections, Gores’ Pistons have the lowest win percentage of any NBA team and have also failed to win in the playoffs since he took over. According to Gores, the goal going into the season was to try to contend for a postseason berth. The Pistons won’t be doing that this season with their 2–27 record, unless a stupendous miracle occurs.

Tom Gores
Tom Gores (Image via Los Angeles Time)

Since 2011, Gores has bee the owner of the franchise, during which time they have had a 358–613 record and an NBA-worst winning percentage of.369. Two times in 2016 and 2019, they qualified for the playoffs as the eighth seed and were knocked out both times. With an NBA record 14 straight postseason losses, the Pistons last won a postseason game in 2008.

Back on consecutive game days on October 27 and 28, the Pistons had their last two straight victories. This was following their opening game against the Miami Heat. They defeated the Chicago Bulls and the Charlotte Hornets to begin the season 2-1. Regretfully, they were not able to maintain the momentum and have not won since then. The Pistons’ roster is incredibly young, and seemingly needs a range of changes in order to bring kickstart their season. .

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