The Detroit Pistons are one week removed from the season shattering news that MVP candidate Cade Cunningham would be out of action indefinitely after being diagnosed with a collapsed lung.
Cunningham was initially given a two week timetable to be re-evaluated after the injury news, but based on the recent push from the star guard and his agent to change the 65-game rule for All-NBA purposes, it suggests the fear all fans had when he originally went down has now become a reality.
That fear? Cunningham won't return in the regular season and the possibility he'll return to action in the postseason is seriously up in the air.
Cunningham's push to change rule suggests his regular season is over
On Tuesday, ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed that Cunningham's agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, has been very vocal about his client deserving All-NBA honors despite potentially falling short of the 65-game rule.
"Cade has delivered a first-team All-NBA season," Schwartz said. "If he falls just short of an arbitrary games-played threshold due to a legitimate injury, it should not disqualify him from the recognition he has clearly earned over the course of the season. The league should be rewarding excellence, not enforcing rigid cutoffs that ignore context. An exception needs to be made."
Schwartz certainly has a point and there's no doubt that the Pistons star has delivered an All-NBA caliber season.
However, reading between the lines of the agents rule change push, it's become clear that the chances of Cunningham returning before the regular season ends is decreasing by the day.
With just over 10 games left in the season, there's only a couple weeks left for the Oklahoma State product to not only get fully cleared to return, but reacclimate himself to game conditions.
And considering the playmaker suited up in 61 games already this season, conditioning typically wouldn't be an issue. Nonetheless, with the injury being a collapsed lung, the process to return to game speed will certainly be just a bit different.
Fortunately though, Detroit has already clinched their spot in the postseason and just because Cunningham won't return for the regular season, doesn't mean the playoffs are a lost cause.
Pistons could get their star guard back in the playoffs
There's no doubt that Cunningham is likely itching to return, especially in a year in which the Pistons have legitimate championship aspirations.
While rust certainly may be a factor with a couple weeks out of game action, if the guard can put himself in position to return at some point in the postseason, it's safe to assume he'll do everything in his power.
J.B. Bickerstaff's squad has done an excellent job holding down the fort while their leader recovers, but the possibility of Detroit getting the versatile playmaker back in the lineup would immediately put them back in NBA Finals conversations.