Is the NBA Giving the Pistons the Cold Shoulder Amid Attention on Rising Star Cade Cunningham?
The Detroit Pistons have been riding the high winds of resurgence recently. Cade Cunningham’s rise to stardom complements his performance on the court for the Pistons. Despite the newfound attention Cunningham has been enjoying, is the NBA unfairly giving the Pistons less air time than other teams in the league?
In an article for Essentially Sports, Vishwanadha Vamsi Vasisht noted that despite Cunningham’s ability to rack up 4,300 points, one of only three players in the NBA who have done so, the NBA isn’t taking noticed of the Pistons. “Probably because they aren’t the Warriors or the Lakers. Or perhaps because they don’t have a huge market like the Knicks. Heading into Christmas last year, national broadcasts on ESPN, ABC, and TNT were struggling, averaging just 1.4 million viewers — a steep 19% drop from last year,” he said.
You don’t have to look much farther than the Pistons matchup against the Thunder this season to witness the Pistons’ fiery activity on the court this season. After watching the Pistons get penalized with five technical fouls in the third quarter of a 113-107 loss to OKC, head coach J. B. Bickerstaff didn’t hold back words.
“I’m disgusted by the way that game was officiated,” Bickerstaff said. “The level of disrespect was above and beyond. They have a guy fall down and trip on his own teammate’s foot; they review us for a hostile act. They throw an elbow to our chest and neck area. I ask to at least take a look at it (on video)… No one would take a look at it. The disrespect has gone far enough.”
Showing Detroit respect goes beyond more than the attention on any one player. As Vamsi Vasisht noted, it’s about changing perceptions of the Pistons across the board from afterthoughts to serious playoff contenders.