Cade Cunningham’s season didn’t just end with a collapsed lung—it may have cost him All-NBA honors, too. And now, the NBPA is drawing a hard line against the NBA’s controversial 65-game rule.

What was meant to curb load management is now under fire for doing the opposite—punishing players dealing with legitimate injuries. Cunningham, who was in the middle of a career-defining season and even fringe MVP buzz, is expected to fall short of the 65-game threshold after being ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. On Tuesday, the NBPA released a strong statement urging the league to scrap or reform the rule, using Cunningham’s situation as a prime example of its flaws.

“Cade Cunningham’s potential ineligibility for postseason awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and yet another example of why it must be abolished or reformed to create an exception for significant injuries. Since it’s implication, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”

While there’s still time for Cunningham to become eligible for the awards if he returns to action by April 4 and plays 20-plus minutes in games that count, it is not feasible given his current health condition. The average time a player has missed in the NBA because of a collapsed lung is around 26 days, so the earliest that the star guard can return is in the playoffs.

But this isn’t just about one player. Even stars like Nikola Jokic, widely considered one of the league’s most durable and dominant forces, have hovered dangerously close to the cutoff at various points, showing how even MVP-caliber seasons aren’t immune to the rule’s rigid limits. Around the league, multiple top-tier players each season now find themselves in a race not just against opponents, but against an arbitrary number.

Piston coach JB Bickerstaff has also asked for a change in the 65-game rule. He wants the league to reform the rule for special cases, as happened with Cunningham this season. “Guys shouldn’t have to feel like they have to play hurt or injured to make something like that happen,” Bickerstaff said.

“I don’t have an answer for you as to what the best thing is moving forward, but I do think if you have serious injuries and you’ve played a certain way throughout the season and you’ve played a certain amount of games, a certain amount of minutes, whatever it may be, you should still be able to qualify for those awards.”

Detroit Pistons get positive news around Cade Cunningham’s health

The Detroit Pistons have been dominant in the Eastern Conference this season, only to receive their biggest setback of the campaign. All-Star guard Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung last Tuesday during their win against the Washington Wizards.

The incident that led to the injury occurred in the first quarter, when he dove for the loose ball and collided with Wizards guard Tre Johnson. Immediately after getting up, he appeared to be in some discomfort and couldn’t continue.

At first, it was thought to be back spasms. Later on Thursday, he was ruled out due to a back contusion, but additional testing revealed that he had collapsed a lung.

Hours after his diagnosis, the Pistons received positive news that he will be out for two weeks before getting re-evaluated. The Pistons camp believes they can field Cunningham in the playoffs without rushing him back to fitness.

According to injury analyst Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, the typical recovery timeline for such an injury is roughly 26 days, which translates to about 11 missed games on average. However, recovery largely depends on the severity of his condition.

Overall, the 24-year-old was enjoying his career year, averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game across 61 games this season while shooting 46.1% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc. The Pistons are leading the Eastern Conference this season thanks to Cunningham’s influence.

They have a 52-19 record in the East, a five-point gap between second-placed Boston Celtics. So even without Cunningham, the Pistons have proven themselves as no pushovers. If Cunningham manages to return by the first round of the playoffs, then Detroit will maintain its place as a contender for the championship this season.