All-Star Announcements, Cap Space, and Andre Drummond | The Weekly Drive
The Pistons more than likely will have an All-Star this year, but they won't be in the starting lineup.

Long time no see Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Weekly Drive. After a week off in which I was frozen to the inside of my house as real feel temperatures dipped well into the negatives, we are ready to talk Detroit basketball again. The Pistons are still jockeying for a playoff spot, All-Star spots are being finalized, and the trade deadline is in less than two weeks. Let’s get into it.
Weekly Game Recaps
Game 41: Detroit 124, New York 119
Rapid Detail: Another Cade Cunningham masterclass, as both Mikel Bridges and OG Anunoby had a difficult time stopping him. When the Knicks did manage to force the ball out of Cunningham’s hands, Malik Beasley came through in the clutch with two big three-pointers.
Game 42: Indiana 111, Detroit 100
Rapid Detail: The Pacers’ two bigs, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner, combined to score 54 points with the latter going 8/11 from the three-point line. Detroit, meanwhile, went 2/17 from deep in the second half and had 13 turnovers in the first half.
Game 43: Phoenix 125, Detroit 121
Rapid Detail: Kevin Durant dropped 30 points in the second half and Devin Booker had 35 of his own, which is tough to overcome for any team. But backup center Nick Richards, who Phoenix acquired in a trade with Charlotte, had 21 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Also tough to overcome.
Game 44: Detroit 107, Houston 96
Rapid Detail: One of the more complete victories of the season for the Pistons. Cunningham had a near triple-double with 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, Beasley scored 17 off the bench, and Jalen Duren had a double-double. Detroit also forced 17 Houston turnovers in the process, resulting in 19 points.
Game 45: Detroit 114, Atlanta 104
Rapid Detail: The Pistons played a good game, but the Hawks shot 16% from deep. The Hawks had a lot of solid open looks, but they just failed to knock them down. As a result, Detroit captured a good road win and moved to sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Game 46: Detroit 113, Orlando 121
Rapid Detail: Franz Wagner scored 25 points in the fourth quarter (32 overall) and Paulo Banchero added another 32 of his own. Head coach J.B Bickerstaff was also ejected about halfway through the fourth quarter after a double technical, displaying more emotion in 45 seconds than his predecessor did all of last season.
Deadline Looming
The NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and the Pistons remain at the center of it as the lone team with cap space around the league. In Lehman’s terms, this means Detroit can operate as a third or fourth team on any deal to help facilitate moving pieces - at the price of draft picks.
Multiple reports have indicated as such about a Jimmy Butler trade. The Phoenix Suns, who appear to be the likeliest destination for Butler, would need a third or fourth team to help make the money work. Detroit could take advantage of the desperation and take on draft picks in exchange for bad contracts elsewhere.
Then there is the question of if the Pistons will look to also acquire a win-now piece to aid in a potential playoff run. Our own Aaron Johnson discussed the possibility of star hunting, but its more likely that the Pistons make a smaller move for a guard.
News and Notes
China Jude, who most recently served as a strategist for Team USA Volleyball, has joined the Motor City Cruise as President of Business Operations.
Pistons announcer Greg Kesler said on the broadcast that Suns guard Grayson Allen is “fortunate” to be playing in the current era of the NBA. Allen, who has a history of being a…let’s call it physical player…elbowed Marcus Sasser in the face.
Several teams across the NFL could use a quarterback (my Cleveland Browns included, as usual), but Cade Cunningham says that with 2-3 months of training, he could beat out Dallas Cowboys QB Dan Prescott for the role.
Speaking of Cunningham, the star point guard will not be a starter in the NBA All-Star Game, but he should still be getting a roster spot when the reserves are announced on TNT on January 30th.
Former Pistons center Andre Drummond said on the Club 520 Podcast that he wanted to retire in Detroit. Instead, he was traded to Cleveland and bounced around the league after that.
Miss a week, miss a lot. But it’s good to be back, and there will be plenty to talk about as the trade deadline approaches. And, more importantly, it looks like the Pistons will be fighting for a playoff spot. Pretty cool, right?
See you next week.
Mike