Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham suffers lung collapse during Washington Wizards game

Pistons' Cade Cunningham suffers lung collapse

The Pistons are still number one in the Eastern Conference, but the devastating news is Cunningham. The Pistons’ medical team says he’ll be out for an extended period of time.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Detroit Pistons' all-star point guard, Cade Cunningham, is out for an extended period of time due to a collapsed lung. Cunningham left the most recent game against the Washington Wizards because of the injury.

Meanwhile, Pistons fans are hoping he can recover in time for the playoffs.

Big picture view:

The Pistons are still number one in the Eastern Conference. However, the Pistons’ medical team says he’ll be out for an extended period of time.

Will he be able to recover in time? And when he comes back, will he be at full strength? Remember, Ausar Thompson is just getting back from injury as well. The Pistons have had a bit of a difficult stretch after the All-Star break, but they are still hanging in there. 

What they're saying:

Many Pistons fans were devastated by the news, but they remain optimistic.

"The first thing was, will he be ready for the playoffs? The second thing is how it’s going to affect his recovery when he gets back on the floor. I love that jacket, and I hope you’re ready, but I really need Cade back," said Pistons fan Karriem Holman.

"It’s very depressing news. We had a chance to win. I hope we still do, but this is not good," said fan Karen Shingler.

"What are your thoughts on the collapse?" Holman added. "That’s kind of crazy. I watched the replay and didn’t realize how hard the contact was. The hit to his back looked pretty strong. I think that’s what caused the collapsed lung. It’s a rough injury for sure. Hopefully he’ll be back soon."

The Detroit Pistons’ medical staff are optimistic that he will be able to return in time for the postseason. He will be reevaluated in two weeks. I also spoke with a DMC sports medicine doctor about the injury.

"Essentially, you have to determine if the small hole in the lung is small enough to heal on its own, which it most likely is based on his age and overall health," said Dr. Christopher Cooke. "Then it’s a matter of how long it will take to heal. In the meantime, you can’t overly work the lungs. Trying to stay in shape with deep breathing and cardio isn’t really possible until it fully heals. So not only is he out for an extended period of time, but it will take him a while to get back into game shape."

What's next:

The NBA postseason starts April 16. We’ll see how this unfolds and hope that Cade can recover in time for the Pistons to make a strong playoff run.