Game 13: Detroit Pistons (6-6) @ Toronto Raptors (12-2) - 7:30 PM ET

[The Moose]

It makes you wonder if someone really believes that why would they willingly put themselves through self misery. It's literal insanity.

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It really does confuse me that you can’t understand that some fans can dislike the current roster/direction and still be a fan of the team.

I think as fans there should always be the one common goal which is to win the championship. Obviously fans will differ in how they believe the team can best accomplish that goal.

A lot of the posters are miserable specifically because they are fans of the team, if they didn’t care, they likely wouldn’t be miserable.

Did I strike a nerve? Not liking the current direction and still being a fan is not exactly what I spoke to. Don't try to make the two the same. What you spoke to is me with the Lions. But it's beyond asinine to constantly harp on how much the team sucks every 3 posts, it's like ok yeah we get it. Even in discussions about what could be done to at least improve the team, there's still the "do nothing because we suck" themed posts.

Again I can't imagine sitting down every week to watch, I don't know, Love and Hip Hop as much as I loathe the nonsense that comes from it. I actually believe Love and Hip Hop sucks and has no redeemable quality in life so I stay far away from it. That's kinda what you do when you feel as strongly against something as some of these posts try to portray.

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No, not really a nerve, i've just been confused by the posters claiming it is due to the nature of opinions of other posters, that they themselves can't post here or don't want to post here, and the notion that these posters who say the team sucks, or lack the optimism of other posters somehow don't want the team to succeed as much as other fans.
Invictus explained it a lot better than myself, but as I said, outside of the trolls every fan wants the same thing at the end of the day, to win the title.

"Even in discussions about what could be done to at least improve the team, there's still the "do nothing because we suck" themed posts. "

This is a perfect example where different fan opinions does not make someone less of a fan.
Improvement is not always linear

[_Und3r][D4wg_]

Slow day, so I scanned over the Raptors' game thread from start to finish... The mood swings over there was effin' hilarious. And here I thought the Pistons forum was bad, always dripping with deep despondency, doom-&-gloom. By the end of the Raptors' game thread, you'd think their team's record is 3-12 with absolutely no hope in sight.

[Crymson]

Honestly I think a lot of the 'negativity' is actually in the form of reality checks from some posters to others.

Everyone here outside of some possible trolls wants to see the team succeed.

Some see the team failing and want to do anything they can to improve the situation right now. They propose hypothetical trades and sometimes those trades expend resources that can be better utilized elsewhere; albeit at a later point in time.

These same people see free agents pop up and immediately try to find ways this person can fit within the Pistons. Sometimes these players make sense; but other times the match isn't good. However, due to impatience/boredom/etc these people will forcibly seek out ways to 'make' said player fit. It's no fun watching the same players make the same mistakes. Play great one game and a player is anointed a superstar. Play bad another and we should waive and stretch. No middle ground. Just the extremes.

Then there are the people that look at the roster, the salary situation for not just this year but future years, the draft picks we have, the market we are in/the appeal of playing in Detroit, what kind of scheme we run, what kind of schemes work best in the league, what kind of talent is coming up from the college ranks, the temperament of players, etc.

They see a roster with heavy commitment to a few players and no really easy fixes. They look at the years to come and see the possibility for opportunity but it isn't necessarily in the short term, but that's okay. They see a bright future if we are smart with our assets and most of all patient. They've seen the success that other teams have had with similar approaches and the failures of teams that have taken approaches similar to ours.

I kind of liken the above behavior to going shopping at a department store.

Some people are the type that think about their current situation beforehand, enter the store with their list in mind and largely stick to the things on that list; the exceptions usually being some fire sale that likely still fits a 'nice to have but not necessary' item in their mind. These people have investments. They have savings accounts. They have retirement plans. They have assets.

Then there are those people that enter a store without a list in mind. They wander about the aisles, picking up an item and try to imagine ways this thing can fit into their life; sometimes even making up short-lived scenarios that don't really pan out in reality. These are the people whose shopping carts are filled to the brim with impulse items from end caps. These are the people who spend most of their paychecks and have little savings left over after all is said and done.

The 'negativity' that comes across is the second group trying to convey the patient approach to the first group. The first group doesn't want to hear it and gets frustrated. The second group gets frustrated by the first groups' responses back. Two camps form. Chaos ensues.

Good post, though I think you mean the first group trying to convey that to the second.

Anyway, spot on. Lots of people here will propose a totally unrealistic trade, or make a totally unrealistic projection for a player, or make a claim that is optimistic but totally untrue, or whatever else of the sort. And when someone explains to them why those things aren't right, they'll scream that that person is negative or not a fan. It's like, no---that person isn't being negative, you're just wrong and they're telling you why. I could scream out that I'm going to win the lottery next week, and the person who tells me that the odds are in the millions isn't being a pessimist... he's giving me an accurate picture.

In keeping with it, while I agree I think you forgot another type of shopper. The one that has $100 and sees the big screen in the window of the store for $300 and pisses and moans about not having the $300. You can tell them that Black Friday is coming and you just never know, you might be able to make that $100 work. Their response, "no shut up, I only have $100, not $300". You can tell them about Craigslist, marketplace, Mike down at the barbershop who be having the deals, etc, and it won't matter. All they'll focus on is what they don't have and refuse to listen to how what they DO have might have a workable solution. That's the one I can no longer take.

What do you refer to? The Pistons are pretty much in the situation of no workable solutions. There's waiting and rebuilding. That is all, unless you want to give away more picks.

[Manocad]

Honestly I think a lot of the 'negativity' is actually in the form of reality checks from some posters to others.

Everyone here outside of some possible trolls wants to see the team succeed.

Some see the team failing and want to do anything they can to improve the situation right now. They propose hypothetical trades and sometimes those trades expend resources that can be better utilized elsewhere; albeit at a later point in time.

These same people see free agents pop up and immediately try to find ways this person can fit within the Pistons. Sometimes these players make sense; but other times the match isn't good. However, due to impatience/boredom/etc these people will forcibly seek out ways to 'make' said player fit. It's no fun watching the same players make the same mistakes. Play great one game and a player is anointed a superstar. Play bad another and we should waive and stretch. No middle ground. Just the extremes.

Then there are the people that look at the roster, the salary situation for not just this year but future years, the draft picks we have, the market we are in/the appeal of playing in Detroit, what kind of scheme we run, what kind of schemes work best in the league, what kind of talent is coming up from the college ranks, the temperament of players, etc.

They see a roster with heavy commitment to a few players and no really easy fixes. They look at the years to come and see the possibility for opportunity but it isn't necessarily in the short term, but that's okay. They see a bright future if we are smart with our assets and most of all patient. They've seen the success that other teams have had with similar approaches and the failures of teams that have taken approaches similar to ours.

I kind of liken the above behavior to going shopping at a department store.

Some people are the type that think about their current situation beforehand, enter the store with their list in mind and largely stick to the things on that list; the exceptions usually being some fire sale that likely still fits a 'nice to have but not necessary' item in their mind. These people have investments. They have savings accounts. They have retirement plans. They have assets.

Then there are those people that enter a store without a list in mind. They wander about the aisles, picking up an item and try to imagine ways this thing can fit into their life; sometimes even making up short-lived scenarios that don't really pan out in reality. These are the people whose shopping carts are filled to the brim with impulse items from end caps. These are the people who spend most of their paychecks and have little savings left over after all is said and done.

The 'negativity' that comes across is the second group trying to convey the patient approach to the first group. The first group doesn't want to hear it and gets frustrated. The second group gets frustrated by the first groups' responses back. Two camps form. Chaos ensues.

Awesome post, man; well done. I mean that in all seriousness and trust me, being serious moments don't come along often for me.