The Detroit Pistons just can’t seem to catch a break. After having clinched the NBA’s longest-ever losing streak in a single season, Cade Cunningham had a golden opportunity to put an end to their skid against the Boston Celtics after being up big. However, with Monty Williams’ boys having suffered yet another disappointment and extending their losing streak to 28 games, Gilbert Arenas took to X (formerly “Twitter”) to start a campaign for Cunningham to be set free.
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As surprising as it sounds, until the halftime of their fixture against the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Pistons seemed like the favorites to emerge victoriously. Holding onto a 66-47 lead as the first half ended, several fans and pundits were ready to busy out the streamers for Detroit. However, the Cs put up a heroic performance in the remainder of the contest.
Erasing a 21-point deficit, Kristaps Porzingis’ 2nd-half brilliance (23 points) allowed the Boston Celtics to tie the game at 108 apiece at the end of regulation. Outscoring the Michigan side by 6 points in overtime, Joe Mazzulla’s boys were successful in grabbing a 128-122 victory.
The Pistons couldn’t have asked any more from Cade Cunningham. Their star guard suited up for more than 42 minutes and gave it his all – 31 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
Adding yet another spectacular performance to his sensational campaign, Gilbert Arenas is of the opinion that Cade deserves something better than the Pistons franchise. Taking to X (formerly “Twitter”), Agent Zero started his own campaign to “free” Cade Cunningham.
Arenas wrote, “#FreeCade”
It’s hard to disagree with Arenas. After all, Cade Cunningham has played very well, especially in the Pistons’ last two outings. He did everything to try and drag his team to a win. However, teammates such as Killian Hayes and James Wiseman have been awful down the stretch, while fan-favorite Isiah Stewart hasn’t done very well either.
It may be a harsh thing to say, but perhaps Cunningham is too good for Detroit after all.
Cade Cunningham could not fathom just how awful the Detroit Pistons have been
Entering the 2023-2024 season, nobody could’ve projected just how horrific the Detroit Pistons’ performance was going to be. Cade Cunningham certainly didn’t. In fact, even after losing 25 straight games, the 22-year-old still couldn’t wrap his head around the team’s struggles. While talking to reporters, the 6ft 6” star made a shocking admission about the squad not being as bad as their record portrayed.
“We’re not 2-26 bad. You know what I mean? No way are we that bad. So, yes, I think we can turn it around. I think we can play a lot better brand of basketball than we’re playing right now,” Cunningham said.
Even after surpassing the Cleveland Cavaliers for the longest losing streak in NBA history, Cunningham didn’t display any frustration. Instead, the youngster showed his incredible leadership by asking all of his teammates to continue trusting each other.
“Don’t jump off the boat. We’ve gotta stay together. Right now is the easiest time to stand off and be on your own,” Cunningham said after the Pistons’ loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Monty Williams, the head coach of the Pistons, did not have a very encouraging press conference though. While Cunningham tried encouraging his teammates, Williams admitted that he was in the midst of the “toughest challenge” in his career. A couple of weeks ago, the 52-year-old said:
“It’s tough to even put it into words… This is the toughest challenge I’ve had in my coaching career.”
With the way things have been going, the Detroit Pistons may finish the regular season with just seven or eight wins, making it the worst winning percentage in league history. That said, perhaps Cade’s words aren’t just meaningless encouragement to his teammates. If Cade’s teammates truly can step things up a bit, the Pistons could possibly look like a competent NBA team before it’s too late.
