Pistons fans could use a little cheering up

Limited Upside

Last year was supposed to be a big step forward for the Pistons. Instead, it was a major step back, and all the optimism from an encouraging 2015-16 season is gone. That's at least based on the response we got from our three Piston fan guests: SBNation.com deputy editor John Ketchum, SBNation.com social producer Kofie Yeboah, and Detroit Bad Boys editor Lazarus Jackson. Among the topics discussed:Same players. Same coach. Same mix. What the heck happened last year?Reggie Jackson had an awful year last year. Was it all because of his knee injury? Can he look more like 2015-16 Reggie Jackson this year?Were fans surprised that the Pistons ditched Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to then trade for Avery Bradley? This was the most upbeat part of the podcast, surprisingly enough.Stanley Johnson has to step up this year. How confident are fans that'll happen? (Not very confident)Andre Drummond ... sigh. That's all. To make this discussion worse, we play Max/Play/Trade with Reggie, Dre, and Stanley.An extended conversation about the pros and cons of the Pistons moving into a downtown arena.Bad Boys Pistons or 04 Pistons? Plus, how well would the 04 Pistons fare in the modern era?Some odd banana boat combinations.Bringing this back full circle: this is Year 4 of the Stan Van Gundy era. What are the chances this ends well?Plus, predictions, best/worst-case scenarios, and more sadness. C'mon, y'all. This is the 12th of Limited Upside's 30 team previews leading up to next season. We're bringing together representatives from all 30 SB Nation team sites and other team-specific experts from the SB Nation/Limited Upside community to gauge the temperature of the fanbase heading into the season. PREVIOUSLY: Hornets NEXT UP: Nuggets

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