The Detroit Pistons’ best season in years hit a major roadblock Thursday when franchise cornerstone Cade Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the superstar guard is expected to miss an “extended period” due to the injury, further raising concerns amongst fans and players alike.

Four-time NBA champion and Golden State Warriors superstar Draymond Green, who holds Cunningham in high regard, quickly sent a heartfelt message to the Detroit star on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show.

“I send my well wishes to Cade,” he said. “I don’t want to act like he died, but damn, this sucks. So send my love to Cade. Send my well wishes. I hope he can get back sooner rather than later. Hope he can get back fast.”

While the Warriors star sent his prayers to Cade Cunningham, he, in proper Draymond Green fashion, didn’t want to get too emotional about the entire situation. 

However, it’s safe to say that the Detroit faithful won’t be feeling the same way about it. After all, the 24-year-old has been instrumental to their success this season. Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 46.1 percent from the field. But even this impressive stat doesn’t do justice to the guard’s contribution to the team.

That’s because he’s also the floor general for the young and gritty Detroit team. This, of course, means that the void left by him will not be easy to fill. Although All-Star forward Jalen Duren powered them to their first win without Cunningham against the Washington Wizards, they’ll have to continue putting together similar performances until he returns to the court.

While that might not be easy, if there’s one team that can pull it off, it’s this Pistons team. That said,

Cade Cunningham’s absence isn’t just devastating for Detroit, but it’s even more saddening for him personally.

With him expected to miss significant time, his chances of being considered for the postseason honors, such as the All-NBA team and MVP award, could end if he doesn’t play 65 games.

Draymond Green calls out the 65-game rule following Cade Cunningham’s injury

The NBA announced the 65-game rule to curb players sitting out games due to “load management.” Unfortunately, the rule has not only failed to solve the intended problem but has also created a new one. It is now eliminating players who didn’t meet the criteria due to an actual injury, and Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham could be its latest victim.

Draymond Green wants NBA commissioner Adam Silver to remove this rule, as it’s doing more harm than good. “It just doesn’t fix the issue,” Green said. “Here’s a guy who’s done everything right, has a collapsed lung, and he’s going to miss All-NBA because this dumba– rule that does not fix the issue.” It’s quite clear that the Warriors star isn’t a fan of the 65-game rule.

But can we blame him? After all, if Cade Cunningham does end his regular season campaign with just 61 games and misses out on these honors, wouldn’t it be a huge stain on the NBA? Perhaps.

However, the bigger picture is that the Detroit star isn’t the only one being punished for getting hurt. Anthony Edwards is also facing a similar risk alongside several other stars.

This includes three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who can miss one more game until the end of the season. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also needs to suit up for six of his team’s remaining 12 games to be considered for the honors.

All of these players are facing consequences of this rule that they don’t deserve. With several of the league’s top players at risk of being penalized for injuries, the NBA faces significant pressure to re-evaluate the controversial 65-game rule this offseason.