Cade Cunningham's injury has sent shockwaves throughout the Eastern Conference. Now that the MVP candidate is unfortunately sidelined due to a collapsed lung, the Pistons have dropped from being the odds-on favorites to win the East to having just the fourth-best chances.
Detroit's decline in the rankings underscores the devastating impact injuries can have on postseason hopes. The Knicks got bumped up a spot, from the fourth-best chances to win the East to the third. That improvement in the rankings should remind fans of what might be their greatest strength heading into the postseason: the expectation that New York's roster will be fully healthy.
Cade Cunningham's injury opens the door wider for the Knicks
Last season is a perfect example of how crucial injuries are to a team's playoff chances. The Knicks were not missing any key players throughout their postseason run and were able to take advantage of other teams with key injuries.
In the first round of last season's playoff run, the Knicks benefited from playing a Detroit squad with injuries to Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart. After that, they faced a Celtics team missing Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser for certain games, while Kristaps Porzingis played limited minutes due to a respiratory illness. Notably, the Knicks were bounced by the first healthy team they faced: the Pacers.
Although it is unclear how long Cunningham will be out, it is worth noting that the typical timeline for players returning from his injury is 2 to 8 weeks. NBA Insider Shams Charania explained that Cunningham's return timeline is a "period of weeks," indicating it will take weeks, not months, before he is ready to play.
As of Friday, the Knicks would likely not face Detroit until the conference finals, given both teams' current and most likely playoff seeds. Cunningham would almost certainly be back with the team by that point, but that's if the Pistons can get that far without their top player.
New York should welcome playing any other squad than Detroit this postseason, as they've gone 0-3 with a -84 point differential against the Pistons this year. NBA analyst Frank Isola explained the implications of Cunningham's injury on the Knicks' playoff hopes, using last season's postseason run as a reminder.
"Going into the playoffs, this is the huge advantage the Knicks had last year, they were relatively healthy, and a lot of other teams were banged up," said Isola. "Injuries always impact the playoffs, and this one [Cunningham's] right now to a team that's in first place in the East, that's huge."
Knicks are expecting to enter this postseason at full strength
As of Friday, the only player on the Knicks recovering from a long-term injury is Deuce McBride, who has been in recovery for months now. Knicks reporter, Ian Begley, wrote after McBride's last injury update that there is "no reason at this point to think McBride won't be fully ready for the postseason."
New York's healthy roster is even more of a threat to opponents in the East now that some of their rivals are expecting to miss key players. If the Knicks can remain healthy throughout the final stretch of the regular season, they can enter the playoffs with an edge that has guided them to new heights in previous postseason runs.