The 65-game rule is under scrutiny once again as Zach Lowe criticized the concept following Detroit Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham's injury.
Cunningham has been playing at an incredible level this season, elevating Detroit to serious playoff contention. However, he suffered a collapsed lung as it will force him to miss significant time.
NBA analyst Zach Lowe provided his thoughts on Cunningham's injury during his March 19 show. Cunningham has played 61 games so far this season and the team has 14 games remaining. It’s quite possible he’s not playing another regular-season game this year. Lowe wants an exception where, at least, players can be put on third team All-NBA.
“I get it. I get the reason why they’re doing this. They have to try to incentivize the best players to play. Spoiler alert it has not worked. And I also remember saying, can you at least give me the flexibility on like third team All-NBA to just not have to follow this rule,” Lowe said at the 8:45 mark.
“Respect me as a voter, former voter now, maybe future, that I can actually parse games played, impact, minutes played, team record, like I can put all this together and actually compare someone who’s played 63 games vs. someone who’s played 72 games and maybe come to the conclusion that maybe the guy who played 63 games is better, or more valuable, or more worthy of All-NBA, but you’ve concluded that I’m too stupid to do that.”
What lies ahead for Cade Cunningham, Pistons
It is brutal news for the Pistons to get about Cade Cunningham. They hope for him to make a full recovery while keeping their season as strong as possible without the star guard's services.
Detroit boasts a 49-19 record on the season, controlling the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 3.5 games above the Boston Celtics and five games above the New York Knicks.
Following Thursday night's matchup against the Washington Wizards, the Pistons will be at home for their next contest. They host the Golden State Warriors as tip-off will take place on March 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
