Four reasons to pay attention to Pistons in 2021-22 season: The Cade Cunningham era begins

The Pistons haven't been relevant for a while, but that's about to change with Cade Cunningham in town

Ever since the core of their 2004 championship team broke up, and their streak of six straight Eastern Conference finals appearances came to an end in 2008, the Detroit Pistons have been wandering aimlessly around the NBA landscape.  Never good enough to compete, they've made the playoffs just three times in 13 seasons and were swept in the first round on each occasion. Never bad enough to build through the draft, they didn't pick higher than seventh from 2009-2020, and only selected two future All-Stars in that time. One of them, Khris Middleton, was traded after his rookie season for Brandon Jennings. The Pistons' failed attempts in either direction left them grasping at the relevance they so desperately wanted. They didn't even have the ignominy of being regarded as a laughingstock. For the better part of the past decade-plus, they've just existed.