As the Detroit Pistons embarked on what was supposed to be an easy stretch, Stan Van Gundy warned of the dangers that come with believing you’ll breeze through any portion of the NBA schedule. “We’re capable of beating anybody,” the coach told reporters last week. “We’re capable of losing to anybody.”

As it turned out, Van Gundy was certainly right about the second part of that statement. In a week’s time, the Pistons sandwiched double-digit losses to the Philadelphia 76ers (7-20), Washington Wizards (12-14) and Indiana Pacers (14-14) around a come-from-behind win over the Dallas Mavericks (7-20).

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Pistons forward Marcus Morris called the 97-79 loss to the Sixers “embarrassing” — so much so that teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was home resting a bruised knee, could hardly watch. “It was tough to watch,” he told reporters upon returning for the 95-85 victory against Dallas. “We played horrible. We played down to our competition. We didn’t play hard enough for the whole game.”

That lone win wasn’t pretty, either. “Offensively, we were pathetic,” said Van Gundy, adding of starting point guard Reggie Jackson, “I didn’t think he was making good decisions for most of the game.”

Then came a 122-108 loss to the Wizards on Friday, when Washington’s John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 54 points, prompting Van Gundy to conclude, “We couldn’t handle their guards at all.”

Finally, the Pistons fell below .500 with a 105-90 loss to the Pacers on Saturday, resulting in the rare combination of a closed-door team meeting with their coach and a players-only meeting to follow. According to the Detroit Free Press, Van Gundy didn’t emerge for his postgame press conference until 40 minutes after the final whistle, and then pulled no punches when asked about his team’s struggles:

Among his more blunt concessions was this: “The ball’s not moving. It’s sticking. Guys are letting the offensive frustration get to them at the defensive end. We’re not in a good place right now.”

“Our offensive frustrations, ranging from guys not thinking they’re getting enough touches to guys just struggling, have taken a toll on our defense,” he added. “It shouldn’t, and it’s not a legitimate excuse, but I’m just giving you the facts. That’s exactly what’s happened. Our offensive frustration is affecting us at the defensive end, and we’re losing heart a little bit. And that’s concerning. The offense has not been moving the way it should. The ball is not moving. I’ve got to look at play calls and the whole thing. “We went through stretches where Reggie made some plays. In the third quarter, we were scoring, but again — what happens is, we’re scoring, but we’re trading baskets. Part of it is we’ve got guys upset they’re not touching the ball and everything else, so they’re not as engaged in the game on the defensive end of the floor. There are all kinds of things that go into the game, and the ball has to move. There has to be an unselfish offense and a committed defense, and the last two nights there have been neither.”

While Van Gundy was at the podium, Pistons center Aron Baynes called a players-only meeting that again kept the media waiting as Marcus Morris called out the team’s selfishness behind closed doors.

“I did a lot of the talking. I said at the end of the meeting that we have to make a decision,” said Morris, via the Free Press. “Everybody go home tonight and decide on what you want to do. Do you want to be a winning team or do you want to continue to get embarrassed? Are you going to play for the next man beside you or are you going to play for yourself?” […] “If you have a guy wide open, he has to get the ball,” he added. “It builds guys’ confidence. It makes the game funner. That’s just how it is. Of course some dudes are going to get more shots than other dudes. That’s how the game goes. Guys are not going to respond well when they don’t get the ball when they’re open. That’s just basketball. That’s just the right way. The Spurs, Golden State, Cleveland, the top tier teams play the right way. You never win if you don’t play the right way. That’s just the bottom line.”