Detroit vs. Everybody

Dear Pistons fans,

My mom is from Detroit — born and raised. And even though I grew up in Atlanta, there’s part of me that feels like I’m Detroit-raised, too. Every summer as a kid, she’d bring me out here and we’d stay with my cousins. And those visits are when I really got a feel for the city. From hoopin’ at Joe Dumars gym, to playing football or tag in the street on 7 Mile, to having cookouts at the end of a long day, I got to see what Detroit is about firsthand. I got to see how it’s this grit and grind mentality, but then combined with these straight family vibes. How it’s all toughness, but it’s all love.

This was the early 2000s — so it’s that era when Chauncey, Big Ben, Rip, Sheed and them ruled the city. Those guys, they brought a winning culture back. That Bad Boys culture. I can still hear that voice booming through the speakers: “DEEEE-TROIT BASKET-BALLLL!” You’d hear those two words, you’d know exactly what it is. It’s a state of mind. Detroit vs. Everybody.

It’s a FEELING.

And with this year’s team, it’s like we’re bringing that feeling back again.

I came into this season with something to prove. There’s these stigmas you can get in the league — where you might be put in a certain box, and after that it’s hard to be seen as anything else. Me, I feel like I’m a winning player, someone who’s worth investing in longterm. But the league wasn’t necessarily seeing that last summer. So I knew I had to take a one-year deal and show everyone.

And I think Detroit was the perfect fit, because it’s like this entire team had something to prove. Ownership, Coach, Cade, our young guys, our vets — man, even y’all fans I think had something to prove. You finish last in the league, you lose 28 in a row at one point, the arena ain’t rocking … that’s not DEEEE-TROIT BASKET-BALLLL. It’s not where you want to be.

One thing people slept on, though, is how last year’s team wasn’t that bad. I know this because I know what our scouting report said on the Bucks. It wasn’t like we were expecting to beat them by 50. We knew the Pistons were this group of young guys who battled like hell. They made you work for what you got. They just needed to learn how to finish.

Another thing people slept on was how much it helps to have shooters. Sometimes basketball is so simple, man. Cade is a type of player where teams are wanting to double him — but without shooting, there’s no spacing. And without spacing, there’s no way to make teams pay for loading up. Now though you got guys like Tim and Tobias and of course myself, and we’re making teams pay. So when Cade comes off a pick and roll, instead of the secondary defender helping, he’s needing to stay close to our shooters … which gives Cade room to do his thing. That’s one of my first memories from training camp: Just Cade saying to us, like, “Damn. I didn’t realize the open shots I’d be getting.” I loved hearing that.

And it’s been that way all season — all of us realizing what we can do for each other, and that the sky is the limit with this team. It’s these young dudes like Jalen, Ausar, Ron bringing their young energy, it’s us vets bringing our vet knowledge, and it’s a feeling like we’re just getting started. Like it’s not some accident that we’ve been stacking wins, you know what I’m saying?? We’re winning because we’re winning.

And for me, man, it feels like I’m coming full circle — like I’m making all these people proud in this city that helped raise me. On the court, I’m really hooping, and showing I’m a guy worth investing longterm in. Off the court, I’m just embracing the energy: from mile to mile, dropping off shoes in the neighborhoods … to grabbing Coney Island or Hoodbachi … to eating the coldest wings and shrimp (shoutout to my cousin at Coach’s Chicken, Shrimp and Fish!!!) … to helping this Pistons thing mean something again. I’ve made this community my own, and I feel like this community has made ME one of THEIR own. 

So I just wanted to thank y’all for that — and to promise I’ll keep putting in work these playoffs.

Our whole squad will. 

Our whole CITY will.

If you’re repping Detroit, this s*** is for you.

If you’re not, you’re the rest.

Let’s get it.
MB5