Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren have the Detroit Pistons off to a hot start

 

                                             (Cade Cunningham. Credit: Paul Sancya/AP Photo) 

The Detroit Pistons are off to an impressive 17-4 start, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 99-98 on Monday, December 1st. Leading the way for the Pistons is point guard Cade Cunningham, who is averaging 28.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 9.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 45.6% shooting from the field, 31.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 81.5% shooting from the foul line. After going 44-38 and finishing 6th in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons are now in first place in the East, looking like an NBA Finals contending team. 

Cunningham is obviously the engine that makes this Pistons team go. He's doing it all: scoring at an elite level, facilitating, rebounding, etc. He's simply sensational. But what's really helped them take the next step into being NBA championship contenders is the emergence of forward Jalen Duren, who is averaging 19.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. Last year, Duren was averaging 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. The rebounding and rim protection were there, but he's really taken a leap forward in his ability to score. Now that they have a legit one-two punch and also a nice third option in Tobias Harris (15.2 points), this Pistons team appears to have the pieces to make a real run at a championship this year. 

The biggest question for them is can they keep it up? The NBA season is such a grind and a lot of times teams that get off to hot starts like this fade as the season goes on. Playing this well for a quarter of the season is one thing, but to play this well for an entire season is another level. It'll be fun to see if the Pistons can keep this up and where they're at once we hit the All-Star break. That will tell us a lot about what kind of team this really is. I for one would love to see them make a deep run this year. It's been too long since the Pistons were this relevant. 

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Wednesday Windmill: The Philadelphia 76ers gave the Milwaukee Bucks coal for Christmas

                                         (Credit: Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports) 

On Christmas Day, the Philadelphia 76ers put the wood to the Milwaukee Bucks, defeating them 121-109. The 76ers hit a franchise record 21 3-pointers as Joel Embiid (31 points & 11 rebounds) and Tobias Harris (22 points) led the way. The 76ers improve to 23-10 while the Bucks fall to 27-5.

If you follow the NBA, you know the 76ers are good, so seeing them win against the Bucks at home shouldn't come as a shock. What is surprising though is the way in which they won. The 76ers aren't known to be much of a 3-point shooting team, so to see them go wild like they did from beyond the arc took everyone by surprise. Especially the Bucks.

As an extension of that, seeing them win so convincingly was surprising. Had they won by five points or fewer, one might even say that's what we should expect from a quality team playing at home on Christmas. But for them to dominate the Bucks and blow them out is another matter.

Even though this is just one game, the 76ers definitely sent a message to the Bucks and the rest of the Eastern Conference that they are a force to be reckoned with. That if they play like this with more regularity, they might represent the East in the NBA Finals.

Touching quickly on the Bucks, this game is disappointing, but nothing to get overly upset about. If you're them, you have to chalk this up as a bad game that you'll learn from. The Bucks have the best record in the NBA and should feel confident in their body of work. They also have the best player in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo and are still the odds on favorites to win the East. No reason for them to freak out. Just move on to the next game and do a better job defending the perimeter.

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Tomahawk Tuesday: Are the Clippers the best team in Los Angeles?

The Western Conference has been pretty wild and the Los Angeles Clippers leading the pack just underscores this fact. The Clippers have won 8 of their last 10 games and are in first place in the Western Conference with a 13-6 record, ahead of the Golden State Warriors (15-7), Denver Nuggets (14-7), and Oklahoma City Thunder (12-7). With Blake Griffin going to the Detroit Pistons and DeAndre Jordan going to the Dallas Mavericks, many people including myself saw this Clippers team entering a rebuilding phase. Instead, they are holding their own and showing they intend to compete in the here and now.

What accounts for the Clippers' early success is their balance. While Tobias Harris is the top scorer averaging 21.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, he has a lot of help around him. Danilo Gallinari (18.6 points), Lou Williams (17.8 points), Montrezl Harrell (15.8 points), and even rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10.5 points) are also scoring in double figures on average. When you have this kind of balance, you become tough to prepare for because of all the different ways you can beat opponents.

While we rarely see teams with this kind of balance, that doesn't mean it can't be an effective model. The 2003-04 Detroit Pistons won an NBA championship because of their balance: Richard Hamilton (17.6 points), Chauncey Billups (16.9 points), Rasheed Wallace (13.7 points), Tayshaun Prince (10.3 points), Mehmet Okur (9.6 points), Ben Wallace (9.5 points), and Corliss Williamson (9.5 points) all chipped in and helped to take the pressure off of one another on offense. On defense, this Pistons team was even better, holding opponents to 84.3 points per game on 41.3% shooting from the field and 30.2% shooting from 3-point range.

When looking at this Clippers team, they have a similar scoring distribution as that Pistons team did. While they're allowing 112.5 points per game, they're holding opponents to 43.5% shooting from the field and 33.3% shooting from 3-point range. The potential to play good defense is definitely there. Especially on the perimeter where they have both Avery Bradley and Patrick Beverley.

Even though it's too early to say whether or not these Clippers are the next 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, it's not too early to acknowledge the fact that they're playing good basketball.  For all the buzz the Lakers had in getting LeBron James, they're currently 7th in the Western Conference, 2.5 games back of the Clippers. While they don't have the same level of star power, the Clippers are getting it done and until proven otherwise, they have to be considered the best team in Los Angeles.

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Daily Dunks: 6/29-7/5

                                                   (Credit: Andy Melton. Click here for source)

Here is my Daily Dunks page for June 29, 2015 through July 5, 2015. Throughout the week, this page will be updated with news from across the NBA until a new Daily Dunks page is created for the following week.

Monday's NBA Daily Dunks

#1. The Bulls have extended a max qualifying offer to Jimmy Butler, making him a restricted free agent (Click here for details).

#2. The Nets waived guard Darius Morris (Click here for details).

#3. Bulls shooting guard Kirk Hinrich exercised his option to remain with the team (Click here for details).

#4. The Magic waived guard Ben Gordon (Click here for details).

#5. Draymond Green will meet with the Warriors first in free agency (Click here for details).

#6. Marc Gasol is only meeting with the Grizzlies in free agency (Click here for details).

#7. Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver will undergo an elbow procedure on Tuesday. He is out indefinitely (Click here for details).

#8. LaMarcus Aldridge will meet with several teams (Click here for details).

#9. Pero Antic won't return to the Hawks. He is signing with Fenerbahce in Turkey (Click here for details).

#10. Grizzlies rookie power forward Jarell Martin has a stress fracture in his foot, which will cause him to miss summer league (Click here for details).

Tuesday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Anthony Davis and the Pelicans have agreed on a 5 year, $140M extension (Click here for details).

#2. Luke Ridnour got traded again. This time to the Raptors (Click here for details).

#3. The Spurs and small forward Kawhi Leonard agreed on a 5 year, $90M extension (Click here for details).

#4. The Trail Blazers and small forward Al-Farouq Aminu agreed on a 4 year, $30M deal (Click here for details).

#5. Odds look good Jimmy Butler stays with the Bulls (Click here for details).

#6. Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzinigs (hip tightness) is questionable for summer league (Click here for details).

#7. Thaddeus Young is finalizing a 4 year, $50M deal to stay with the Nets (Click here for details).

#8. Brook Lopez has agreed to a 3 year, $60M deal to stay with the Nets. Third year includes a player option (Click here for details).

#9. Power forward Nikola Jokic is finalizing a 3 year deal to come over to join the Nuggets (Click here for details).

#10. The Bucks waived Shawne Williams and Caron Butler (Click here for details).

Tuesday's WNBA results: 

Fever 92 Sun 84. Liberty 89 Sky 81. Mercury 85 Stars 78. Storm 74 Shock 69.

Wednesday's NBA Daily Dunks:

Note: There were a TON of free agency happenings today. So what I'll do is highlight the key happenings and then provided links to some other feeds that are tracking like everything that's going on.   Also, check my twitter feeds, Facebook page, and my Google Plus page.

#1. Draymond Green is staying with the Warriors on a 5 year, $85M deal (Click here for details).

#2. Iman Shumpert is staying with the Cavaliers for a 4 year, $40M deal (Click here for details).

#3. The Grizzlies agreed to a 3 year, $18M deal with power forward Brandon Wright (Click here for details).

#4. Tyson Chandler signed a 4 year, $52M deal with the Suns (Click here for details).

#5. Paul Pierce agreed to a three-year, $10M deal with the Clippers (Click here for details).

#6. Jimmy Butler and the Bulls have agreed on a 5 year, $90M deal (Click here for details).

#7. Kevin Love is staying with the Cavaliers on a 5 year, $110M deal (Click here for details).

#8. Paul Millsap is staying with the Hawks on a 3 year, $58M deal (Click here for details).

#9. The Cavaliers re-signed Tristan Thompson on an $80M extension for 4 or 5 years (Click here for details).

#10. DeMarre Carroll is going to the Raptors on a 4 year, $60M deal (Click here for details).

#11. Sports-Kings.com has a great NBA free agency tracker (Click here to see it).

#12. RealGM.com has a great free agency tracker (Click here to view it).

#13. InsideHoops.com has a great free agency tracker (Click here to see it).

Thursday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Monta Ellis has agreed to a 4 year, $44M Deal with the Pacers (Click here for details).

#2. Wesley Matthews has agreed to a 4 year deal with the Mavericks (Click here for details).

#3. Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers did not get a deal done. They are still far apart (Click here for details).

#4. Damian Lillard agreed to a 5 year, $125M extension with the Trail Blazers (Click here for details).

#5. Omer Asik and the Pelicans agreed to a 5 year, $60M deal (Click here for details).

#6. Dwyane Wade has agreed to a one year, $20M deal with the Heat (Click here for details).

#7. The Bucks are trading Jared Dudley to the Wizards (Click here for details).

#8. Greg Monroe agreed to a 3 year, $50M deal with the Bucks (Click here for details).

#9. Arron Afflalo agreed to a 2 year, $16M deal with the Knicks (Click here for details).

#10. The Kings traded Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, and Nik Stauskas to the 76ers (Click here for details).

#11. Sports-Kings.com has a great NBA free agency tracker (Click here to see it).

#12. RealGM.com has a great free agency tracker (Click here to see it).

#13. InsideHoops.com has a great free agency tracker (Click here to see it).

#14. Sportando.com has a nice recap of ALL the day's happenings (Click here to see it).

Thursday's WNBA scores: 

Sky 77 Sun 74. Fever 73 Mystics 50. Mercury 86 Shock 55. Sparks 86 Stars 81.

Friday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Memphis Grizzlies may be looking to move Kosta Koufos via sign and trade (Click here for details).

#2. The Knicks and center Robin Lopez have agreed on a 4 year, $54M deal (Click here for details).

#3. The Pacers and forward LaVoy Allen agreed on a multi-year deal (Click here for details).

#4. Derrick Williams and the Knicks agreed on a two year, $10M deal (Click here for details).

#5. Patrick Beverley is staying with the Rockets on a 4 year, $25M deal (Click here for details).

#6. Rajon Rondo is signing with the Kings on a one year, $10M deal (Click here for details).

#7. Gary Neal is going to the Wizards on a 1 year, $2.1M deal (Click here for details).

#8. Corey Brewer is re-signing with the Rockets on a 3 year, $24M deal (Click here for details).

#9. DeAndre Jordan is going to the Mavericks on a 4 year, $80M deal (Click here for details).

#10. The Kings and shooting guard Marco Belinelli have agreed on a 3 year, $19M deal (Click here for details).

#11. Tobias Harris agrees to a 4 year, $64M deal to stay with the Magic (Click here for details).

#12. Sportando.com has a great page with all the free agency happenings from the day (Click here to view it).

#13. RealGM.com has a great free agency tracker (Click here to view it).

#14. InsideHoops.com has a great free agency tracker (Click here to view it).

Saturday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Pacers are finalizing a trade to send Roy Hibbert to the Lakers (Click here for details).

#2. The Magic have sent Kyle O'Quinn to the Knicks via sign and trade (Click here for details).

#3. The Kings have agreed to a 4 year, $33M deal with Kosta Koufos (Click here for details).

#4. Jeremy Lin is considering signing with the Mavericks (Click here for details).

#5. Bismack Biyombo has agreed to a two-year, $6M deal with the Raptors (Click here for details).

#6. LaMarcus Aldridge is signing with the Spurs on a 4 year, $80M deal (Click here for details).

#7. Dante Cunningham has agreed to a 3 year, $9M deal with the Pelicans (Click here for details).

#8. Richard Jefferson is re-signing with the Mavericks (Click here for details).

#9. Becky Hammon is the head coach of the Spurs' summer league team (Click here for details).

#10. C.J. Watson is joining the Magic on a 3 year, $15M deal (Click here for details).

Saturday's NBA Summer League scores: 

Heat 92 Pacers 76. Magic (White) 87 Pistons 76. Magic (Black) 75 Clippers 74. Thunder 76 Hornets 74. Grizzlies 81 Nets 73.

Heat small forward Justise Winslow had 15 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Pacers center Myles Turner had 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Hornets forward Frank Kaminsky had 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Sunday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Mavericks have signed forward Jeremy Evans (Click here for details).

#2. The Kings are keeping forward Omri Casspi. He has agreed to a two-year, $6M deal (Click here for details).

#3. The Cavaliers are exploring trade options to get Joe Johnson from the Nets (Click here for details).

#4. There is a report that Tobias Harris turned down a max-deal from the Kings (Click here for details).

#5. LaMarcus Aldridge wrote a thank you letter to the city of Portland (Click here for details).

#6. Cory Joseph has agreed to a four-year, $30M deal with the Raptors (Click here for details).

#7. Brandon Bass is leaving the Celtics to join the Lakers. He could arrive in L.A. via sign and trade with Nick Young leaving the Lakers (Click here for details).

#8. Justin Holliday is unlikely to stay with the Warriors (Click here for details).

#9. Ed Pinckney is leaving the Bulls to join the Nuggets as an assistant coach (Click here for details).

#10. Phil Weber is leaving the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League to be an assistant coach with the Pelicans (Click here for details).

Sunday's WNBA results: 

Dream 72 Storm 64. Mercury 94 Sparks 91.

Sunday's NBA Summer League results: 

Pistons 77 Clippers 69. Grizzlies 79 Hornets 75. Heat 71 Nets 70. Former UConn point guard Ryan Boatright had 23 points for the Nets.





---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news and like my Facebook page NBA Lord Nation