There isn't Always Next Year | The Weekly Drive
The age-old adage is just that, and more a coping mechanism than actual sage wisdom.
Good morning Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Palace of Pistons Weekly Drive. This is going to be a little different than the usual recaps and news updates of past editions. Instead, I wanted to talk about something that is important to remember amidst this incredible season Detroit is having. There isn’t always next year. Let’s get into it.
On Sunday afternoon, I watched the Buffalo Bills defeat the young, upstart Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs. It was a stinging defeat in which those pesky Jags were leading Josh Allen and the favored Bills with just a few minutes remaining. A last-second interception sealed the deal, a gut-wrenching way for Jacksonville’s season to end. I saw someone on social media tell a Jags fan “hey, you guys have a good young team and there’s always next year.”
That resonated with me, as someone who has heard that phrase a lot over the course of watching, covering, living, and dying with Cleveland sports. “There is always next year.” It is entirely within reason that the Jaguars don’t make the playoffs next season, despite some guy on social media saying otherwise.
I’m here to tell you that there is not always next year in the fast-paced world of professional sports.
Tell that to the Atlanta Hawks, who made their way to the Eastern Conference Finals just a few years ago only to have to trade Trae Young because they failed to get back to that level. It was clear to the front office that the path back to the top could not be done with Young leading the team.
Tell that to the Memphis Grizzlies, once a darling of the Western Conference, who are now listening to offers for another troubling point guard in Ja Morant. Remember, it has not been that long since the NBA saw Morant as one of the future faces of the league. That is not the case any more.
Tell that to those plucky Cleveland Cavaliers, who have seemingly been waiting to break through for four years in a row now. And this year doesn’t look any better than the last ones, despite being the most expensive team in the NBA. They are running out of time, and quickly.
What does this have to do with the Detroit Pistons?
This isn’t a warning. Its more of a reminder that there are curveballs in the NBA, perhaps more than most other professional leagues, that change everything. Trades alter the landscape in ways that make baseball and football look pedestrian, seismic shifts that twist the league in new and different ways. Injuries have completely flipped the Eastern Conference on its head, led by Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton. Its a brave new world, seemingly every season.
The Pistons are having a charmed year, one that very few people could have predicted. Even the most optimistic Pistons fan could not have predicted two years ago that heading into 2026 Detroit would be first in the conference and a defensive juggernaut. And yet here we are.
I don’t like the phrase, “there’s always next year’. Because, while true, its also not true at all when you get right down to it. Its a coping mechanism for loss, sadness, and a desperate pull for optimism. That doesn’t mean teams should burn their resources and assets each and every season, but its important to recognize when the time is right to strike.
This will come to a head with the NBA trade deadline rapidly approaching, and the Pistons will be one of the intriguing teams to watch. They have a decision to make: go all-in on this season, or stay the course with what has been working. Its hard to argue with the results so far, but its fair to question the playoff feasibility of a team that is entirely predicated on Cade Cunningham. The playoffs are a different ballgame, a turn-based joust of matchups and schemes. Players get exposed, picked on, and sometimes downright played off the court and never heard from again in a series. Do the Pistons have enough pieces to play with when the game gets more challenging?
Whether you believe they do or not, know that this team is playoff bound. They have the moxie, energy, and seemingly unwavering confidence to figure out how to win. There is a real opportunity for them to have a special season.
Enjoy it. Savor it. Cheer for it, and see it in person if you can.
There isn’t always next year.