J. Kyle Mann

I understand it from the perspective of Cade Cunningham's collapsed lung and the lingering effects of that and who he might be even on the other side of it.

There's like a lot in the air.

But 4%, I mean, just feels incredibly, a disastrous turn of events in and of itself, given what they could have reasonably expected even a month ago.

Look at you.

It's more like disappointment in the way things have turned out than it is like I'm strongly pushing back on this idea that this is what their title odds are at this point.

I think you nailed it.

Yeah, all of the uncertainty around the injury bolstered by the fact in this case that

To the extent that they have a flexible roster, it's a lot of offense or defense.

You have to make a compromise one area or the other.

If you want to get more shooting on the floor, it's coming with huge caveats for a team like the Pistons in terms of what their defensive identity is and how they can hold together structurally.

That's really tough when you get into a playoff setting, when you have to make those sorts of one or other concessions.

You need a well-rounded roster.

Even when you think about a team like the Thunder on their march last year,

which is like ostensibly a similar model, right?

Like driven by one primary creator.

Granted, there's no J-Dub in Detroit, but a defense first team that tries and works really hard on that end.

And that's kind of where they hang their hat.

It's a similar formula, but they don't have like the, oh, we can play big and small flexibility necessarily, unless you're just super into B-ball Paul, which go with God.

Many are, many are though.

Look, he's a fine player, but he's not a playoff answer.