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The independent arbitrator the league used to look at Dante Cunningham’s case determined that his punctured lung was a “condition,” a league source told The Athletic last week, rather than a basketball injury, leading to his winning the appeal. He is now healthy. And dealing. (No, I have not forgotten that Anthony Edwards, currently gimping it out for the Wolves against Denver on the knee that kept him from also hitting the 65-game minimum, had his appeal denied.) It’s one thing to dominate a January game against a tanking team — or just one that stinks. To do it under the brightest lights and best competition, in the playoffs, brings a special aura to players who orchestrate such high-stakes games to their own syncopation. “For us, it uplifts us, makes us go with him,” forward Isaiah Stewart said. “For the other team, it’s just a problem for them that they have to figure out. They changed their coverages (on Cunningham) and stuff, which helped free us up and allowed us to make plays.”
He’s guided the Pistons from the NBA basement to 44 wins and a playoff appearance last season. This season, he’s led them to 60 wins, the No. 1 seed in the East and what Detroit hopes will be a deep postseason. “(This level of success) is in line with what we expected,” Cunningham told The Athletic. “I don’t think we were hunting the one seed. At the end of the day, you’ve got to see everybody anyway. … It’s really just about being at our best and finding a way to be the last team standing. “Last year, we wanted to do more than we did, but we didn’t. We fell short of that, and it’s just adding more fuel to the fire.”
And after recovering from what he called a “scary” left lung pneumothorax, he said he has all the tools to compete at the highest level — the same way he wanted to while watching Edwards and Jokic clash on TV. “We have a group of guys who are cut from similar cloths,” Cunningham said. “… Guys who are go-getters, guys who don’t lay down for anybody.”
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When asked Tuesday about his anticipation for the game, Cunningham's focus was elsewhere. Born and raised in Arlington, Texas, Cunningham said he'll have plenty of family in attendance. Otherwise, it's another NBA game. "I’ve played a bunch of basketball games in my life," Cunningham said. "I've played in big basketball games that meant a lot to the media and to the fans, whatever. And so I’m going to try to approach this the same way. It’s the Pistons vs. the Rockets now, and we’ve gotta try to go get a win."
Former NBA veteran forward Dante Cunningham signed a contract with French Basketball Champions League team Le Mans for the 2021-22 season, the club announced. He becomes the fourth former NBAer to move to a Basketball Champions League side these last days after Thon Maker, Sean Kilpatrick and Anthony Bennett who all joined Hapoel Jerusalem.
Paul Garcia: To open cap space, the Spurs renounced the cap holds to the following players: Trey Lyles Patty Mills Quincy Pondexter Donatas Motiejunas David Lee Joffrey Lauvergne Ben Moore Darrun Hilliard Rudy Gay Gorgui Dieng Dante Cunningham Matt Costello Marco Belinelli
Jon Krawczynski: Free agent forward Dante Cunningham is working on a deal to play in China, sources tell @TheAthleticMIN.
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However, they had to do something. For now, they’ll try Melo, but his non-guaranteed contract gives Portland the flexibility to try something else at the snap of a finger. If he doesn’t work they’ll try calling somebody up from the G League (some plausible names: Jarrod Uthoff, Marcus Derrickson, and Dedric Lawson), or turn to another veteran chilling on his couch (Dante Cunningham and Lance Thomas are waiting by their phones, among others), or work the angles for a low-stakes trade.
Paul Garcia: Dante Cunningham is available tonight against the Kings, per the Spurs.
Tom Orsborn: Dante Cunningham will sit this one out due to a sore right ankle, per #Spurs. The Pels are without Anthony Davis (finger), Julius Randle (ankle), NIkola Mirotic (calf), E'Twaun Moore (quad) and Elfrid Paytn (ankle).