Cavaliers at Pistons
THE STORY: John Kuester could be coaching his final home game when the Detroit Pistons host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. It just so happens Kuester was an assistant in Cleveland before taking the top job in Detroit. The Cavaliers are limping into their final road game tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the league’s worst record.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS-Ohio, FS-Detroit
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (17-63): A flat effort in the first half of Saturday’s 108-101 loss at Milwaukee prompted coach Byron Scott to tell his players if they didn’t want to still be playing basketball, they could go on home. Scott has been emphatic about ensuring his players finish the season playing hard despite their record. It’s why he benched J.J. Hickson for nearly the entire first half. Hickson had two fouls within five minutes, but Scott could have reinserted him. Instead, he kept him out because he didn’t like how Hickson looked. Hickson scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the second half for his ninth double-double in his last 11 games. But the Cavaliers are still thin in the frontcourt. Just as Semih Erden’s groin allowed him to return for the last couple games, the Cavaliers lost Samardo Samuels to a groin injury. Samuels hasn’t played in the last three games, and Scott said if he can’t play Monday against the Pistons, he’ll also be shut down for the season finale at home Wednesday against the Washington Wizards.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (29-51): New owner Tom Gores has already made it clear he’s not firing team president Joe Dumars, but Dumars hasn’t made it clear yet what the future holds for Kuester. It’s been a turbulent season for the Pistons, complete with a player revolt midway through the year. But the Pistons have won their last three games to ensure a winning record at home and there at least have been glimmers of hope lately. Whether it’s enough to save Kuester, who has one year left on his deal, remains to be seen. Under Kuester, Greg Monroe became one of the league’s top rookies and Austin Daye has shown the ability to be a prolific scorer. Of course, Kuester is 56-106 in his two seasons and most of the veterans have made it clear they don’t like him. Kuester wants to return, but the final decision lies with Dumars.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Hickson is averaging 20.2 points and 12.3 rebounds in April. Anthony Parker has gone scoreless in two of his last four games. He is 2-for-8 over his last two games and didn’t play the second half Saturday because of back spasms. Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey had 24 points off the bench in Sunday’s 112-101 win at Charlotte. He is averaging 22.7 points in his last three games. Tracy McGrady hasn’t scored a point since an April 5 loss at Washington. He hasn’t attempted a shot in his last two games spanning 22 minutes.
KEY STATISTIC: The Cavaliers are the league’s worst team at defending the 3-point line. Opponents are making 41 percent of 3-pointers attempted. The Pistons rank sixth in shooting 3-pointers at 38 percent.
KEY INJURIES: CLEVELAND: C Semih Erden (groin); F Antawn Jamison (finger); F Samardo Samuels (groin); G Anthony Parker (back). DETROIT: F/C Ben Wallace (knee); G Will Bynum (knee); F Jonas Jerebko (Achilles).
LAST WORD: “You’re in it to win, and if you’re not continually winning, I understand. But do I feel comfortable and confident in doing the job? Absolutely.” – Kuester, addressing his future with the team.