Since the first ever game of basketball was played, one thing has remained constant through the centuries of evolution, passion. This one thing binds the player and the fans on the same wavelength of emotions. For NBA fans it is no different and sometimes the passion gets the better of them.
While fans mostly make the news during an NBA game because of their shenanigans directed at the opponent team, some exceptions are certainly there. One such exception saw a massively discontent Pistons fan being escorted out of the arena, but the reason was completely astonishing.
Watch: Pistons GM Troy Weaver’s heated argument with heckling fan
The Detroit Pistons faced Dallas Mavericks in their home arena, but it did not end well for the home team and crowd. Earlier another fan was escorted in Luka Doncic’s presence but this time he was not the one to ask the security to get the fan out, it was Pistons general manager, Troy Weaver.
A Pistons fan was seen involved in a heated argument with Weaver, telling the GM “You suck at your job.” Weaver said in return, “You’re lucky I don’t beat your ass” and within some time the fan was asked to leave by the security on the 56-year-old’s command.
The incident was narrated by another Piston fan, Jeffrey Calloway, who sat near the heckler. Speaking about the man in the telephone interview Jeffrey said, “The guy that was in the incident, with the Red Wings stuff on, came over and was pointing at the scoreboard earlier in the game.”
According to Jeffrey, the general manager shrugging his shoulders said “OK” and the man did not respond anymore and went back to his seat, but things did not end there.
“When (Jalen) Duren got ejected (midway through the fourth quarter), the guy came back and told him that he was terrible at his job. Then, Troy Weaver was telling the fan he had to leave and that’s when ushers or security walked over,” said Jeffrey.
Mavericks won the game by 142-124 leaving the Pistons with a 10-53 win-loss record. Luka Doncic, the star of the show, contributed 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists along with a triple-double which is his sixth in a row.
Troy Weaver is where the Detroit Pistons’ lack of responsibility begins
On his arrival in the 2020-2021 season, Troy Weaver told the reporters in a press conference, “this isn’t a rebuild — it’s a restoring” and that “The Motor City deserves a consistent winner back on the floor” but the Detroit Pistons have never had a decent season in the past four years which resulted in the fans frustration.
Since the GM arrived, the Pistons have had a poor 70-229 win-loss record with 28 consecutive losses this season which is the longest in a single season. He has tried to acquire more players, like Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari, to improve their offensive side and did succeed with five wins out of twelve games after having a 2-29 record.
Adding small forward Simone Fontecchio and shooting guard Quentin Grimes to the squad this season to support the team as 3-and-D wings for a long-term plan did work initially but things are not on track lately. The Pistons are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table with a 10-53 win-loss record.
Weaver blamed the poor defensive side and the injuries of Monte Morris and Bogdanovic which cost them the games. Talking about their terrible outcomes previously, he said, “Our defense started off well, and then it just took a nosedive. A lot of it is the younger core being in and out with injuries, and the veterans being out of the lineup.”
Although they hit the rough end Weaver had earlier confirmed that he is the right choice for the post and is confident about the head coach with a plan for the franchise’s success. The GM said, “We have a plan in place, a young core that’s showing that they’re growing and have a chance to be special players. It’s on us to continue to fortify that group.”
With no hopes of qualifying for the offseason games, it will be interesting to see what plans Troy Weaver has in store to fulfil his initial statement of restoring Pistons’ championship title wins.
