The Detroit Pistons selected G-League Ignite star Ron Holland fifth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft this past Wednesday, adding a defensive-minded guard/forward to Detroit's talented young core alongside Jaden Ivey, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.
Many fans have expressed concern about whether Holland was the right pick considering he's just 18 years old and the Pistons appear in need of immediate help to become a winning team again.
Previously, the Pistons introduced new general manager Trajan Langdon amid a firestorm of activity that saw the team fire its head coach Monty Williams.
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Lost in this flurry of activity were Gores' comments on winning that appeared indifferent to the hopes of Detroit's starving fanbase.
"As much as we want to win," Gores said, "we want to develop these young players."
On the surface, Gores' comments may not have set off any alarms.
On closer inspection, they reek of an owner that has been criticized as detached and indifferent to the Pistons' franchise mantra of sacrifice, "goin' to work," and winning at all costs that made them one of the most successful, and at times hated, NBA franchises of all-time.
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Does Gores want to win as badly as Pistons fans do?
Considering Gores and the rest of the franchise's never-ending parade of excuses, it doesn't quite sound that way.
Developing young players sounds like the goal of a team that just started or is perhaps in year two of a rebuilding process.
Cade Cunningham has been around long enough to "develop" into a high-scoring forward. Isaiah Stewart has been around long enough to "develop" into a solid rebounder and outside shooter. James Wiseman was drafted number two overall in 2020 and has had more than enough time to "develop" into a talented post player.
Someone should kindly remind Gores that "development" doesn't amount to a hill of beans when you're winning less than 25 games per season.
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This Pistons franchise has not won a playoff series since 2007-2008, when Flip Saunders, Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton roamed the sidelines and court at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan, which has since been razed to the ground along with millions of Piston fans' hopes and dreams of a fourth NBA championship.
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Detroit needs a stronger message and stronger leadership from its owner during this time of historic ineptitude.
Reading between the lines, his message on developing players sounds like a cop-out for an owner that has guided the Pistons franchise directly into the NBA's icy abyss.
The Pistons haven't just been bad in the last five years under Gores' watch, they've been historically terrible, with five seasons of between 14-23 wins and four straight last-place finishes.
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If Gores and his historically bad front office mates want to stave off deafening Little Caesars Arena chants of "sell the team" in the near future, right now would be a good time to start demanding tangible results from his players and coaching staff beyond abstract words.
Pistons fans, players, and coaches deserve better.
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