Tigers

After an impressive season that culminated in a third-place finish for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award, Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham recently opened up about a valuable lesson he learned during his first year as a pro.
&ldquo;I think the biggest thing I learned is that the league, the media, nobody will care until you&rsquo;re winning,&rdquo; Cunningham <a href="https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/cade-cunningham-slam-238/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told SLAM</a>. &ldquo;I could feel bad for myself all I want about [how] people didn&rsquo;t respect or appreciate the season I had or anything, but I didn&rsquo;t win a lot of games.
"I think that&rsquo;s been the biggest thing that I&rsquo;ve locked in on and I decided within: I have to win games if I want people to respect my name. And if not, then I can&rsquo;t be mad at people not watching enough games and how I really play. That&rsquo;s the challenge that I&rsquo;ve tried to take on. I&rsquo;ve talked to teammates [and] we&rsquo;re all trying to take that challenge on. I think that&rsquo;s the next step for us.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Cunningham played well as a rookie, averaging 17.4 points, 5.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 threes and 1.2 steals in 64 games. And he looked significantly better in the second half of the season, posting 21.1 points, 6.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 threes and 1.1 steals per game after the All-Star break.
However, to his point, the Pistons finished the season 23-59, which was the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference (and the third-worst record in the NBA). Detroit boasted the league's 28th-ranked offense (scoring 103.3 points per 100 possessions) and 23rd-ranked defense (allowing 111.1 points per 100 possessions).
Cunningham seems determined to change that. It's not uncommon for a young player to spend years trying to put up numbers and prove he is a star, so it's great to see Cunningham already prioritizing team success over individual accolades and taking a mature approach as a 20-year-old.&nbsp;
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Perhaps Hall-of-Famer Isiah Thomas has helped Cunningham see the bigger picture, as SLAM notes that Thomas has had several conversations with Cunningham about leadership and other topics.
Fortunately, the Pistons are in excellent position to add some some reinforcements alongside Cunningham. Detroit has the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock currently projects</a> that the Pistons will select Kentucky's Shaedon Sharpe.
Also, the Pistons currently project to have the second-most cap space in the NBA this offseason ($25.80 million), trailing only the Orlando Magic ($28.67 million). If Detroit is able to add some key pieces alongside Cunningham, perhaps the organization can right the ship and return to the playoffs sooner than later.
Cunningham was also asked about this season's Rookie of the Year award, which went to Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (with Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley finishing as the runner-up). While Cunningham felt he should have won the award, he's happy for his former high-school teammate and he's glad the debate is over.
&ldquo;Scottie is my brother, I&rsquo;m happy that he got that award," Cunningham said. "I feel like it&rsquo;s great that it&rsquo;s him, [my] Montverde teammate. I&rsquo;m super excited [for him]. I mean, it&rsquo;s never really been about that award for me. I&rsquo;ve had a ton of questions asked about it, you know&mdash; 'Rookie of the Year, what do you think about you winning?' So, I&rsquo;ma answer the question, you know? I feel like I should win it. That&rsquo;s natural. But it was never a knock on those guys. I love their game and I&rsquo;m happy that now we can quiet that question down. Congrats to Scottie, man, I love my dog.&rdquo;
While Cunningham didn't win the Rookie of the Year, award there's no question that he has a bright future and the Pistons are thrilled to have him.&nbsp;
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Cade Cunningham learned a valuable lesson during his rookie season — something that many young players take years to grasp.

Cade Cunningham shares valuable lesson he learned as a rookie

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Karl-Anthony Towns gave big men everywhere something to shoot for.
Minnesota's 7-footer became the first center to win the 3-Point Shooting Contest, defeating seven guards during the NBA's All-Star Saturday and providing a memorable moment on a night the dunk contest barely got off the ground.
Towns, who has spent his entire career proving doubters wrong about his range, posted a 29 &mdash; the highest total in the competition &mdash; during the final round to defeat Atlanta's Trae Young and Luke Kennard of the Los Angeles Clippers, who tied for second with 26 each.
New York's Obi Toppin won the four-person dunk contest, scoring a 47 out of 50 in the final round by putting the ball between his legs in the air, touching it off the backboard and re-directing it through the rim.
Golden State's Juan Toscano-Anderson was second as the dunk contest, once a marquee event that at times trumped the All-Star Game, fell flat.
A trio of Cleveland Cavaliers, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, won the Skills Challenge.
After his surprising 3-point win, Towns accepted his trophy at mid-court and immediately turned toward Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal sitting courtside in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
&ldquo;I told you Shaq,&rdquo; Towns said. &ldquo;Vegas got the odds wrong.&rdquo;
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Towns was considered, well, a long shot among a field of shot makers that included Young, Kennard, New Orleans' CJ McCollum, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Patty Mills, Toronto&rsquo;s Fred VanVleet, Chicago&rsquo;s Zach LaVine and Memphis&rsquo; Desmond Bane.
&ldquo;I wanted to prove I was the best shooting big man in the world, and now I got the trophy to prove it,&rdquo; Towns said.
There have been other big men crowned 3-point champions, but Kevin Love (2012) and Dirk Nowitzki (2006) are considered power forwards.
&ldquo;I think this is a nice little thing to put on that r&eacute;sum&eacute;,&rdquo; Towns said. &ldquo;Big man hasn&rsquo;t won in 10 years, and, of course, 10 years ago, a decade ago, who won it? The Wolves. It&rsquo;s coming back home where it belongs.&rdquo;
The dunk contest started with some promise and fizzled fast.
Orlando's Cole Anthony caused a stir when he swapped his sneakers for a pair of Timberland boots and then dunked in them with an assist from his father, former NBA guard Greg Anthony.
Toppin said all the participants are great dunkers who wanted to put on a show, and they all were encouraging each other.
&ldquo;When Cole missed those two first ones with the Timbs on, I was like no those Timbs are heavy," Toppin said. &ldquo;I was like, we got to boost his energy up. I was trying to get everybody on their feet.&rdquo;
It worked, momentarily.
But Anthony couldn't complete his second dunk in three tries and he was eliminated along with Houston's Jalen Green, who also struggled while trying to impress a panel of Hall of Fame judges &mdash; Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins.
The hometown Cavs added another moment to their impressive season by winning the re-formatted Skills Challenge, which pitted teams and not individual players.
Garland, Mobley and Allen teamed up to outperform Team Antetokounmpo &mdash; MVP Giannis and his brothers Thanasis and Alex &mdash; and a rookie trio of Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Toronto's Scottie Barnes and Oklahoma City's Josh Giddey.
Mobley, a leading candidate for rookie of the year honors, sealed the win by making a half-court shot on his first attempt, allowing the Cavs to close the segment of the contest in 5.5 seconds and defeat Team Rooks.
The Cavs started the shooting competition off target as Allen, hardly known for his outside touch, made just two shots in 30 seconds. However, Garland brought Cleveland back &mdash; and brought their crowd to life &mdash; scoring 21 points.
However, the Cavs came out of the relay portion tied with Team Antetokounmpo for second place and needed Garland to win a shoot-off with Thanasis to place Cleveland in the final.
After Cunningham drained his 47-footer in 9.9 seconds, Mobley calmly stepped into his winning shot.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of a kind,&rdquo; Allen said of his 20-year-old teammate. &ldquo;Defense, offense and now half court. The whole league knows Evan by now. If they&rsquo;ve ever driven to the paint, they definitely know him, so the NBA should know him by now.&rdquo;

Karl-Anthony Towns posted a 29 during the final round to defeat Atlanta's Trae Young and Luke Kennard of the Clippers.

Center of attention: Towns wins All-Star 3-Point Contest

All-Star Weekend is a godsend, man.&nbsp;
A 55-60 game schedule across four months is monstrous for everyone involved: the players and coaches, the fans living and dying with every result ... and the people covering the sport.
At a basic level, it feels good to wind down for a bit. Turn your brain off for a bit. All-Star Weekend festivities provide us with a nice middle ground; we get low stakes competition where the mission statement is "look at how freaking cool our league is."
I love the way the league handles its opening night. We get former players coaching a bunch of celebrities in the world's wealthiest (and cringeworthy) pickup game. After that, they showcase the up-and-comers in the league in ... yet another pick-up game. At least in this case, we get some real late game juice from the young studs &mdash; especially with the introduction of a new target-score-based format.
I have some takeaways from Friday's festivities, but I'll get the most important one out of the way now: I had a lot of fun.
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And that's what really matters, right? It's so easy to get caught up in the minutiae over the regular season. Wins and losses, scheme stuff, injury maintenance, transaction talk. It was honestly cool to watch (bad, at times) basketball and just bask in the ambience of the world's best sport.
(This is not an invitation to argue. Be wrong in your own space.)
Here are some things that stood out to me.
MYLES GARRETT IS A MASSIVE HUMAN BEING
While it's generally understood that professional athletes are abnormal humans (in a positive sense), you still come across a few that bend the realm of what should be possible. Garrett is one of those dudes, an electrifying defensive end for the Cleveland Browns listed at 6-foot-4, 272 pounds.&nbsp;
Guys his size aren't supposed to move as well as he does. That blend of size, athleticism and fluidity makes him one of the best linemen in the sport &mdash; seriously, line him up inside or outside and he can absolutely blow up your game plan &mdash; but it seems unfair that he can also&nbsp;serve as a terrifying transition threat on the basketball court.
Though his team ultimately lost the Celebrity All-Star Game, Garrett popped on the screen all night. He was a Drummond-esque bully on the glass, a vertical spacer you had to account for in the half-court, and a dunk-happy hooper whenever he got the chance.
What the heck do you do with a refrigerator-with-hops flipping the angle of a screen, then rumbling down the lane like this?
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You get out of the way, like the defense does here. Or you just go full Dearica Hamby:
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Garrett didn't show much in the way of shooting touch or passing chops, but he also didn't need to.&nbsp;
JACK HARLOW &mdash; GAP FILLER?
We all knew Harlow had at least an interest in basketball; within that realm, his relationship with Tyler Herro begins to make more sense. I'll leave that up for your interpretation.
But to watch Harlow shooting in for boards, knocking down four-point shots (yeah, that was a thing) and keeping the ball moving in the half-court was ... honestly satisfying? A pleasant surprise? There were a few audible "...huh." exclamations in the Duncan household on Friday night.
You know what every low-stakes, full-court pick-up game has?
Shoddy transition defense.
You know how you take advantage of shoddy transition defense?
Well, you cherry-pick pass the ball ahead and generate easy buckets. Harlow was doing that in spades.
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I'll give him the hat tip.
STRENGTH MATTERS&nbsp;
You can nestle in more Garrett talk here, but I want to hone in on the Rising Stars event.
First off, well done on the format. Two games to 50, and a final with a 25 target score. I was a bit iffy on 50 as a target score &mdash; the possibility of things going too quickly or&nbsp;dragging on too long was in the back of my mind &mdash; but it turned out to be a solid sweet spot.
Beyond that, let's talk about Team Barry.
Having Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner and Jae'Sean Tate is a gnarly blend of size and IQ. It's cliche, but all of those dudes just know how to play basketball. Quick processors, sound decision-makers, spatial awareness on both ends of the floor, all of that.&nbsp;
But man, can all of these dudes just abuse mismatches.&nbsp;
Even on missed shots, it was wild to watch Mobley put his shoulder into his defender's chest on post-ups. Poor Bones Hyland (Team Payton) was fighting for his life when defending drives. Tate was a bowling ball on drives, or when fighting for rebounds. We got this very early on into the Cade-versus-LaMelo Ball battle:
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I'm just not sure what you're supposed to do with that. All of the positioning in the world only goes so far when you can be moved off your spot. Team Barry didn't have watch-your-ankles shot creators, but they didn't need 'em &mdash; they had enough get-to-my-spot guys to make the offense work when it mattered.
IS EVERYBODY OKAY?
Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way first. Scottie Barnes has rightfully flowed between 1-and-4 in the Rookie of the Year race, depending on when you check in. He's a <a href="https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2022/01/13/scottie-barnes-and-star-power/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">star in the making</a>. Precious Achiuwa, the key prospect in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade from this summer, has shown some <a href="https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2022/02/02/precious-achiuwa-is-a-rising-defensive-star/">darn good stuff defensively</a> this year. Raptor fans should be (and are) excited about what's being built up there.
With that said, they gave us some&nbsp;hilarious&nbsp;moments on Friday night.&nbsp;
We'll start with Barnes (and Tyrese Maxey, to be fair), who completely bombed during the Clutch Moment event.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes go 0/6 on the lay up <a href="https://t.co/MDcoBdHyiZ">pic.twitter.com/MDcoBdHyiZ</a>
&mdash; Alex (@dbs408) <a href="https://twitter.com/dbs408/status/1494880647730528258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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But also, how wholesome are these two?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes kept it positive during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CloroxClutch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CloroxClutch</a> Challenge! 😊 <a href="https://t.co/xdpeb4FEmF">pic.twitter.com/xdpeb4FEmF</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1494901408688226304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And then there's Achiuwa, who played with his usual brand of energy on both ends. He also tapped into his I'm-a-big-wing-not-a-big bag at&nbsp;the&nbsp;worst possible time.
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Attack your goals with the confidence of Achiuwa, and you're much more likely to achieve them.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>Boy, did the Jalens &mdash; Green and Suggs &mdash; give us some material in the opener. Green showcased his shot-creation chops early on. Suggs was flying around, and even gave us a 360 for our pleasure. Of course, we also got some ill-advised shots from Green down the stretch, and a missed free throw from Suggs that pried the door open enough for Team Isiah to steal the victory. Ah, well.</li>
<li>Desmond Bane is shooting 42% from three on nearly 7 attempts per game this season. You could not pay that man to make an open shot last night, going 3-of-10 from three across the two exhibition games and&nbsp;mostly wetting the bed in the Clutch Moments event. Thank goodness for Tyrese Haliburton.</li>
<li>HUNT ALPEREN SENGUN IN SPACE AT THE END OF A MEANINGLESS GAME AT YOUR OWN PERIL.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan talks about his favorite moments from Friday night's All-Star Weekend festivities.

Friday Fun: Takeaways from the first day of All-Star Weekend

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; The No. 1 overall pick came out on top again.
Detroit rookie Cade Cunningham, being counted on to bring the Pistons back to relevancy, was named MVP of the NBA's All-Star Rising Stars on Friday night while leading Team Barry to a 25-20 win over Team Isiah.
Cunningham, who scored 13 points with six assists and five rebounds in the night's first game, had only 5 points in the finale but made several big plays down the stretch, including a clutch 3-pointer.
Cunningham also made a nifty pass inside to set up Orlando's Franz Wagner, whose free throw sealed Team Barry's victory.
When he was handed the MVP trophy at mid-court, Cunningham was playfully booed by the Cleveland crowd, which was pulling for Cavs rookie Evan Mobley to win the honor. Mobley was instrumental in Team Barry's victory, scoring 18 points &mdash; 12 on dunks &mdash; in the two games.
Don't tell Cunningham these games didn't mean anything. He came into the Rising Stars with one goal.
&ldquo;To win,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I felt like we had the team to do it, so we had to come out and prove ourselves and the get the chip. So glad we did it.&rdquo;
Hall of Famer Rick Barry beamed about his young team's effort.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m proud of these guys because every one of them did a great job,&rdquo; Barry said. &ldquo;So it was great to see them playing basketball and they really went out and played the way the game should be played.&rdquo;
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One of the All-Star Weekend's staple events, the format for Rising Stars, matching the league's top rookies against second-year players, was changed this year to a mini-tournament with three games between four teams.
The &ldquo;semifinals&rdquo; were played to a target score of 50, and the final to 25 &mdash; a nod to the NBA's 75th anniversary. The teams were coached by Barry and former All-Stars Isiah Thomas, James Worthy and Gary Payton.
In the first matchup, Memphis guard Desmond Bane made two free throws to secure a 50-49 win for Team Isaiah over Team Worthy.
The second game also went down to the wire with Houston's Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate dropping an acrobatic layup, pushing Team Barry past Team Payton 50-48.
With defense almost nonexistent, there was no shortage of soaring dunks, spin moves and crossovers to keep the sellout crowd entertained.
One of the top highlights came in the first matchup between Team Isaiah and Team Worthy when Orlando rookie Jalen Suggs passed up an uncontested layup and bounced a pass off the backboard to Magic teammate Cole Anthony for a dunk.
The 6-foot-2 Anthony will be one four participants in Saturday's dunk contest.
Moments after his dunk, Anthony did a cartwheel as Suggs shot what would have been a game-clinching free throw only to have it bounce off the rim.

Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham was named MVP of the NBA's All-Star Rising Stars on Friday night

Pistons' Cade Cunningham named MVP of NBA All-Star Rising Stars

The NBA announced the Clorox Rising Stars challenge rosters after undergoing a four-team draft, coached and headlined by captains and NBA legends - Jon Barry, Gary Payton, Isiah Thomas and James Worthy.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
"The 2022 Clorox Rising Stars rosters have been announced following a player pool draft conducted by 75th Anniversary Team members and Rising Stars coaches Jon Barry, Gary Payton, Isiah Thomas and James Worthy. The 2022 All-Star Weekend event will be highlighted by some of the league&rsquo;s best young talent, including leading Kia Rookie of the Year candidates Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham and sophomore stars LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards.
In a new format, 28 players &mdash; comprising 12 rookies, 12 sophomores and four members of the NBA G League Ignite developmental squad; see roster below &mdash; were drafted onto four teams to compete in three games on Friday, Feb. 18 (9 p.m. ET, TNT).
Each game will be played to a Final Target Score, ending with a made basket or free throw instead of with the clock running out. It will be a &ldquo;Race to 75&rdquo; to celebrate the league&rsquo;s 75th anniversary season &mdash; Games 1 and 2 will be played until a team reaches 50 points; Game 3 will be played until a team reaches 25 points."
Clorox Rising Stars Rosters:
 TEAM BARRY
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons Dyson Daniels, G League Ignite Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers Isaac Okoro, Cleveland Cavaliers Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, Houston Rockets Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
 TEAM ISIAH
Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings Jaden Hardy, G League Ignite Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons
 TEAM PAYTON
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings
 TEAM WORTHY
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic MarJon Beauchamp, G League Ignite Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder Jalen Green, Houston Rockets Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic
 Tournament Bracket
&nbsp; &nbsp; Game 1: Team A vs. Team B &nbsp; &nbsp; Game 2: Team C vs. Team D &nbsp; &nbsp; Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
"In addition, a timed shooting competition called the Clorox Clutch Challenge will take place between Games 2 and 3 of Clorox Rising Stars. A total of eight NBA and NBA G League Ignite players will be divided into four teams of two and compete to make shots from five locations on the court tied to iconic shots made in the NBA Playoffs.
&bull; Teams will break down as follows:
&mdash; Desmond Bane/Tyrese Haliburton &mdash; Scottie Barnes/Chris Duarte &mdash; Josh Giddey/Evan Mobley &mdash; Michael Foster Jr./Fanbo Zeng (G League Ignite)
&bull; Each team will compete with one shared ball and its players must alternate shots so no player shoots two times consecutively. Team 1 is given 1 minute and 30 seconds (1:30 counting down) to make a shot from each of the five locations in any order. Team 1&rsquo;s time is then the marker for Team 2. If Team 1&rsquo;s time is 1:15, then Team 2 will have a 1:15 countdown clock to complete the competition. Each team that establishes a new standard sets the clock for the next team competing, and the fastest finisher will win the Clorox Clutch Challenge."

The Clorox Rising Stars challenge has been set after the conclusion of a 4-team draft.

Isiaih