Lawrence Frank on Pistons: 'This is disheartening to watch'

Lawrence Frank said his Pistons are "disheartening to watch." (Issac Baldizon/Getty Images)

Detroit Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank was back with the team earlier this week after missing six games to tend to his ill wife. But the coach has been watching the Pistons from afar and has seen enough to call them out amid a nine-game losing streak and 12 losses in their last 13 games. It's their worst stretch of the year after starting out losing their first eight games of the season.

In a report from the Detroit News, Frank ripped into his team, saying it's been "disheartening to watch" and hopes the players can restore a sense of pride to the organization:

"As a group we stunk. This is disheartening to watch. [W]e have to restore the pride of being a Piston. We’re not gonna restore it in a day but, big picture, we have to get that pride back in wearing that jersey.”

The team is currently 23-46, second-to-last in the Central Division and in a three-way tie with the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Hornets for 25th in the league. Frank said he expects rookie Andre Drummond back soon along with Brandon Knight and the recently acquired Jose Calderon, who came to Detroit as part of the three-team deal that moved Rudy Gay from Memphis to Toronto.

The lone bright spot for the team has been budding star Greg Monroe, but even he called out his teammates earlier in March following a 32-point defeat from the Los Angeles Clippers:

"Maybe guys don't care. Something has to change, though. This can't continue. If you don't want to play, just say it. This has got to stop. It's unacceptable. [I]f you don't want to play, you should say it. This is unacceptable. It's gone on too long. If you don't want to be on the court, if you aren't going to give 100% on the court, then just don't play."