Cade Cunningham is out for Detroit Pistons’ home finale
Tonight is fan appreciation night. Fittingly, it’s also a night that would cement a franchise record for most losses in a season should the Detroit Pistons fall to the Chicago Bulls. Also emblematic of this season, Cade Cunningham, the team’s best player, by far, and biggest hope for the future, by far, is out again. It feels like we’ve already seen Cunningham suit up for the last time this NBA season. Just layers and layers of depressing on top of depressing. But play the Pistons must, and we will be there to cover the action.
It is unclear how quickly the dust will settle on this season in terms of turnover with the roster, the coaching staff, and the front office. The roster will surely change. The number of players on expiring deals who are not integral to the future of Detroit, combined with the team’s bountiful cap space, esures that.
How many of the young core play on the home-team Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena following this game? That is a little fuzzier. Will Monty Williams remain on the sidelines coaching the team? Probably, but you never know what a billionaire could do. Will Troy Weaver be in charge of ensuring that by next season’s finale, the majority of the playing rotation features completely different players? That feels like the least likely of any of the above scenarios, but also incredibly plausible. Let’s enjoy what we can, with who we can, for as long as we are able.
Game Vitals
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit Extra, TV-20 Detroit
Odds: Pistons +11
Projected Lineups
Chicago Bulls (37-42)
Coby White, Jevon Carter, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic
Detroit Pistons
(13-66)
Marcus Sasser, Jaden Ivey, Troy Brown Jr, Chimezie Metu, Jalen Duren