The Pistons are already too far into the season to try and tank. It may not be ideal to stumble into the No. 8 seed, only to get inevitably trounced by whoever the No. 1 seed happens to be (I still think it will be the Cavs despite their recent struggles defensively).
However, playoff basketball is a completely different animal than the regular season. Despite the fact that most of the players on this team have been disappointing, it is still valuable to get playoff experience, especially with a few core members still a couple years ahead of their prime.