How The Pistons & Cavs Stack Up
The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers entered the current NBA campaign with significantly different expectations.
Continuing with their rebuild, the Pistons picked Purdue guard Jaden Ivey with the No. 5 selection in this year’s draft. Detroit made another big splash on draft night, acquiring Jalen Duren, the No. 13 selection, in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets.
General manager Troy Weaver also handed Marvin Bagley III, acquired from the Sacramento Kings ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, a three-year extension worth $37.5 million.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, were coming off their first winning season without LeBron James on the roster since 1998. President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman saw the perfect opportunity to add to a 44-win up-and-coming roster, and he made a giant splash by acquiring Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a summer blockbuster move.
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The Cavaliers and Pistons have three meetings remaining in the 2022-23 regular season: Nov. 27 at Detroit, and Feb. 8 and Mar. 4 in Cleveland. Their first meeting took place in Motor City on Nov. 4, with Jarrett Allen’s 23 points pacing the visitors to a win.
That game marked the Cavaliers’ seventh consecutive win, and they’d extend the streak to eight victories with a W over the Los Angeles Lakers two days later. The streak was snapped at the hands of the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 9.
We’re not even a month into the season yet, but it’s very clear that the Cavaliers are a force to be reckoned with in the deep Eastern Conference. Mitchell has been the ideal addition to a talented roster that also includes rising Darius Garland and Evan Mobley plus veteran stalwarts in Allen, Kevin Love and Caris LeVert.
For the Pistons, fans can only realistically hope to see some progress in 2022-23. The future is bright, but this rebuild is far from over.
Led By New “Big Three”, Cavs Are Ready To Win Now
The Cavaliers’ rebuild in the post-LeBron era certainly didn’t take as long as expected.
Altman hit the jackpot when he took Garland fifth overall in 2019, and when he took Mobley third overall in the deep 2021 draft. Altman pulled off another savvy move by landing Allen in a four-team deal via the Brooklyn Nets in the 2021 James Harden blockbuster trade.
LeVert, another former Brooklyn standout, was acquired in a trade from the Indiana Pacers in February. He brought vital scoring depth and helped Cleveland reach the play-in tournament, though they lost both games and fell short of making the final 16.
Last season was still a modest success in “The Land.” After all, Cleveland fans waited 24 years to see a winning season without James on the roster. And with a game-changing superstar in Mitchell rounding out the core, Cleveland is built to win now and over the next five years.
Cavaliers fans were blessed with the short-lived albeit dominant trio of James, Love and Kyrie Irving. They now have a new special big three Mitchell, Garland and Mobley, who are all here to stay for the long run.
Pistons Staying Patient Through Lengthy Rebuild
The Pistons haven’t had a winning season since 2015-16, and they last made the playoffs in 2019 with a .500 record. It’s been a painfully long rebuild in Motor City, no doubt, but there is a lot to be excited about here.
Cade Cunningham, the first overall pick of the 2021 draft, is on the verge of entering “superstar” status. Both Ivey and Duren have shown some promise in the early stages of their NBA careers, and they’re only going to get better as time progresses.
Detroit has also enjoyed rapid growth from Saddiq Bey, who was acquired from Brooklyn after the team drafted him 19th overall in 2020. He’s tailor-made for Dwane Casey’s defense-first system, and his prolific scoring has been a nice bonus for the organization.
The Pistons are realistically at least two years away from emerging as a playoff contender in the tough Eastern Conference, but the foundation is in place. Fans just have to stay patient, and as Sam Hinkie once said, “Trust the Process.”