Detroit Pistons: What needs to happen in the second half of the season

Now that the All-Star break is over the Detroit Pistons need to get back to playing good basketball if they want to look back at this season as a success.

Before this season started it seemed like the Detroit Pistons were in a horrible spot. They were looking like a stagnant team with a young player that might just be good instead of great. But looking at them today is completely different than that. Andre Drummond is a star, they’ve acquired a great talent in Blake Griffin, and role players are playing better than expected.

So what needs to happen in the second half of the season? One simple thing. The Detroit Pistons need to make the playoffs.

Anything less than that would mean that this team is again in a horrible spot, just with even less money and young talent. When the Pistons made the trade for Griffin it was obvious that they were doing their best to become a team that can wreak some havoc in the playoffs. Not even making it would mean they lose their draft pick, waste a stellar Drummond season, and keep the entire young core from getting much-needed playoff experience.

Stars are born in the playoffs. I mean Stanley Johnson called out the Cavaliers when the Pistons played them his rookie year and I for one have never been more proud. It didn’t matter that he had no right to say things. Johnson called LeBron out. The national media was mad at him. And Pistons’ fans were loving that we were being talked about again.

That’s really all it takes. The Pistons just need to get into the playoffs and make some noise somehow. Whether it’s on the court by upsetting a team or getting under a team’s skin. It’s the attitude so many people watching Pistons basketball saw. It’s what the fans want. And since the Pistons fell off in the late 2000s, the fanbase hasn’t been nearly the same and it’s sad.

The team deserves the die-hard fans again, just as the fans deserve great basketball in the city of Detroit. The rest of this season can be the first step to getting that back. The playoffs are the first step in that direction. Then it’s win a series. Then it’s mold these young talented players into some of the most intimidating players in the league. It’s not easy at all, but nothing that’s worth it is easy.

This team made the goal playoffs or bust this year. And personally, I think that’s the best thing they could have done. Sure the NBA is full of super teams right now, but playing for five years down the road doesn’t help either. Weirder things have happened before. Just go out there and try to be one of those special teams.

Next: Reggie Jackson injury update

And if things don’t turn out as expected this season Stan Van Gundy may be on his way out. Players may get moved around. And this young team full of potential may just be remembered as another mediocre team. And that’s something I really don’t want to see.