Cade Cunningham injury update: Decision needs to come soon

Cade Cunningham has missed the last eight games for the Detroit Pistons with a shin injury and has a big decision looming.

There are basically two solutions for this type of injury, resting for an indefinite amount of time and hoping it heals or having surgery.

According to James Edwards III of The Athletic (SUBSCRIPTION) the team is “encouraging” Cade to shut it down and have the surgery, which could end his season.

This has to be a tough call for Cade, who has already had to miss time in his young career and certainly doesn’t want to miss the majority of his second season.

It’s pretty much a nightmare-scenario for the Pistons, but both Cade and the team need to do what is best for the long term, as Detroit is not likely going anywhere this season anyway and Cunningham is one of the building blocks of the franchise.

As a fan, I am still holding out hope that Cade Cunningham can rest and get back on the court this season, but if he is going to have the surgery, that decision needs to come soon.

Detroit Pistons: The clock is ticking for Cade Cunningham

The Detroit Pistons are now 20 games into the 2022-23 season and currently have the second-worst record in the NBA.

With 62 games remaining in the season, there is still hope for Detroit to turn things around, especially after the recent strong play from their bench and rookies. There is also a chance that Cade could return at some point this season if he were to have the surgery soon.

It’s unlikely, but there is a chance he could come back. If he rests for a few more weeks and then has another setback, he may have to have the surgery anyway, which would remove any possibility of him returning this season.

Waiting too long could even jeopardize the offseason or the beginning of next season, so it would be smart not to delay if that is in fact the decision.

Getting this settled soon would also allow the Pistons to move on with their season without this issue lingering over them. His teammates are obviously hoping Cunningham comes back, but need to start thinking about how their roles will change without him and adjust accordingly.

This would give the Pistons the chance to further evaluate other players in increased roles, which is about the only positive I can think of to Cade missing the rest of the season.

Let’s hope that rest is all that is necessary for Cade Cunningham to heal, but the clock is ticking and a decision is going to have to be made soon to prevent this injury from lingering into next season.