Detroit Pistons are lowering expectations for Cade Cunningham’s return
Fans of the Detroit Pistons are eagerly awaiting the return of Cade Cunningham, but we might have to wait longer than expected.
Cunningham has missed all of preseason so far with a twisted ankle, which the Pistons claimed was minor and that holding him out was an act of precaution.
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But the narrative is slowly starting to change as the regular season gets closer and the Pistons seem to be trying to lower fans’ expectations for his return:
Casey on Cade: "We're not going to rush Cade back. ... He's too valuable for us. We'll sit down and meet with his team, the medical team, Troy and map out a plan." Said he's missed out on speed of game, calls, everything that comes with playing.
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) October 12, 2021
This is obviously the correct approach to take, as the Pistons are not title contenders and there is no reason to risk further injury to the number one pick.
But this rhetoric is also concerning, as Cade has had ankle problems in the past and the Detroit Pistons, like all NBA teams, are always cagey about injuries.
Detroit Pistons: The narrative around Cade Cunningham’s injury is changing
Stop me if you’ve heard this one:
-Player X goes down with injury.
-Team says they are evaluating it but aren’t concerned.
-Team says the injury is “minor” and player is day-to-day
-Team says they won’t rush player back
-Team eventually admits injury is more serious
-Player misses far more time than originally predicted
This has happened roughly 800 million times in the history of the NBA, as teams are always less than forthright about injuries for some reason, so count me as worried about the state of Cade Cunningham’s ankle.
I’ve been around this game long enough to know that when coaches and teams start talking about “rushing” a player back or “plans” for an injury, it is usually not a good sign.
The Detroit Pistons already said that Cade Cunningham would not play until he had 3-4 full-speed practices under his belt, which has yet to happen. There have been some positive signs, but until I hear that he has been 100 percent cleared for practice, I am not going to be confident that he’ll be in the lineup for the regular season opener.
Let’s hope this is just the team being cagey and that the Pistons will have their full roster against the Bulls for the home opener.
Next. What to expect from Cade Cunningham early in the season. dark