A person who is 50-years-old, would not have been alive the last time the Detroit Pistons had the first pick in the NBA Draft. The No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts when the Pistons last went first (March, 1970) was ‘Bridge over Troubled Water‘ by Simon & Garfunkel (ask your grandparents about them).
Yes, Pistons fans have been waiting a long time for this. Since the NBA Draft lottery was started in 1985, the Pistons had never moved up, even one little spot, with their own draft choice. Until this year, of course. Call it Karma, or whatever, Detroit finally got a break in the lottery.
On July 29, 2021, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the words Pistons supporters have longed to hear:
"“With the first pick in the NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons select … Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State.”"
Yes, the Pistons did indeed ‘Fade for Cade’ this past season, finishing with a 20-52 record, second worst in the NBA.
For a breakdown of Cunningham’s game, go here. Cliffs Notes version: He is really good at everything.
Was it worth it? We will find out.
Presumably, Cunningham will play with the Pistons summer league team in Las Vegas. They open up play on August 8 (8:30 PM ET) against Oklahoma City.
Detroit Pistons GM Troy Weaver took his time deciding on Cunningham
If Pistons fans have discerned anything about general manager Troy Weaver, it’s that he does not do anything, without a long and deep consideration.
From the outside, it appears Detroit decided at 1:17 p.m. on draft day that they would definitely take Cunningham. At least that is when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was told, which is about as official as it gets.
ESPN Sources: The Detroit Pistons have landed on a decision to select Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick in tonight’s NBA Draft (ESPN and ABC at 8 PM ET).
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 29, 2021
From the moment the Pistons were awarded No. 1, Weaver had steadfastly said they would evaluate five players to take with the draft pick. He even stuck with the five player line in a press availability two days before the draft, even though no one could even come up with a fifth player ranked high who had come in for a workout.
Weaver also said from the start of the process, that he was open to trading the pick. However, most people assume it would have taken a ‘Godfather’ offer to pry away the No. 1 pick.
Most likely, Detroit was looking in a trade to move just a couple of spots down (so they can still get Jalen Green or Evan Mobley), a young, promising player, and some future first-round picks. Apparently, despite all the chatter, no one presented such a trade proposal to the Pistons.
Weaver had hinted at his press conference that all these offers bandied around in the media, he had not been contacted about, which is kind of important to get it done.
And so it ends, not with a bang but with Adam Silver’s voice. This is what the overwhelming majority of Pistons fans wanted. Be happy Detroit Pistons community.