The Detroit Pistons got the devastating news yesterday that Cade Cunningham’s injury is worse than originally expected and he may have to miss extended time.
This is a low point for a franchise that had started the season 3-14 anyway, getting beaten in a manner we haven’t seen since the “Process” Sixers.
Not only is Cade Cunningham potentially out for the season, but the Pistons will also be without Isaiah Stewart for at least a few more weeks and Saddiq Bey is now out with an ankle injury.
Obviously, fans are concerned about Cade Cunningham’s health and wish him a speedy recovery, but if it takes the whole season for him to get back to100 percent, so be it.
He is the guy the team is building around, so the Pistons need to be thinking long term here, so I won’t be surprised when it is announced that he is having season-ending surgery on his fractured shin.
This is really the nightmare scenario for a few reasons.
Detroit Pistons: Is Cade Cunningham out for the season? If so, pack it in.
At the very least, Cade Cunningham will be out for a long time, but I expect his season is likely over given the history of this particular injury.
If that is the case, then the Pistons season is over as well, as they don’t have nearly enough depth to withstand the loss of their best player.
Let’s face it, they weren’t winning games with him either, but we did expect continued improvement throughout the season and that this team might actually be playing well by the end of it.
We also knew that the Pistons would likely commit to tanking at some point, but I was hoping that would be well into the future, not less than 25 percent into the season.
This is going to be a LONG season for Pistons’ fans, who have already suffered though winning just 63 games in the last three seasons combined.
Buckle in, because Detroit is going to be lucky to win 20 games this season without Cade. Yes, they will very likely have maximum 14 percent odds to get Victor Wembanyama, but we are going to have to suffer through another 65 games before even getting that minuscule amount of hope.
This was really the worst-case scenario, but not just because of this season.