J.B. Bickerstaff on Cade Cunningham award loophole: 'He deserves it'

"He’s a complete player and that’s one of the things we’ve learned last year, this year and he’s continued to show us, is there’s no assignment that he won’t take on," Bickerstaff said. "He’s an intelligent defender, he can guard one-on-one, he can guard one through four and some fives, he can execute a coverage, he blocks shots, he gets steals. He’s an all-around basketball player that can impact the game on both ends of the floor."

The timing of Cunningham's late season injury sparked league-wide discussion about the fairness of the rule established in the most recent collective bargaining agreement. He missed 12 games after suffering a collapsed lung on March 17, but returned for the final three games of the season. He finished just shy of the cutoff mark with 63 games that counted (meaning at least 20 minutes played) toward award eligibility. Cunningham also missed three games in November with a hip issue and two games in January with a wrist injury.

The NBA and NBPA had agreed that 65 games (of at least 20 minutes of action) were required for eligibility for awards such as All-NBA, MVP, All-Defense and Defensive Player of the Year. Players who missed the cutoff were allowed to appeal if they missed games due to "extraordinary circumstances," rather than load management.

"The NBA and NBPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Dončić, each player qualified for awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision in the CBA," the league and the players union said in a joint statement.

A third NBA star, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, also appealed his lack of eligibility. That went to an independent arbitrator, who ruled against Edwards after the wing finished with 60 games played after missing 11 of the Timberwolves final 14 regular-season games.

It should be a fruitful awards season for a Pistons team coming off of its third-best record in franchise history. Ausar Thompson will be among the leading vote-getters for All-Defense, and Bickerstaff is a favorite to win Coach of the Year.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: J.B. Bickerstaff talks Cade Cunningham awards eligibility