DETROIT _ In the final minute Saturday's loss to the New York Knicks, the Pistons' lineup on the floor was Reggie Jackson, Bruce Brown, Tony Snell, Christian Wood and Thon Maker.
No Blake Griffin. No Andre Drummond. No Luke Kennard.
That wasn't exactly the plan going into the season.
In the aftermath of Thursday's surprising trade that sent Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers and their myriad injuries, the Pistons' roster has been depleted. Beyond the long-term injuries to Griffin, Kennard and Khyri Thomas, they're dealing with some short-term issues with Derrick Rose, Svi Mykhailiuk and Markieff Morris.
It's what they've become after 55 games _ they're a team in rebuild mode.
With only 19 wins, they've veered off the path of trying to squeeze into the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed and into the murky waters of trying to be competitive while leaning toward a solid draft pick.
Pistons senior adviser Ed Stefanski declared the direction that many fans had been longing to hear for years.
"With the trade of Andre, we are looking to rebuild," Stefanski said Friday in a conference call with media members. "What the future holds is going to be interesting."
That short-term future looks to be a struggle through the final 27 games of the season, with a good look at the young prospects on the roster. It presumably means Wood will be in the starting lineup, as will Kennard when he's healthy, and it likely means significant minutes for the developing pieces such as Mykhailiuk and rookie Sekou Doumbouya.
That's how rebuilds work.
