Former Piston Earl Cureton Passes Away At Age 66

Earl Cureton a Detroit native and a former Detroit Piston, passed away yesterday (Feb. 4th) at the age if 66. Cureton known around the league as Earl "The Twirl", was a 12-year NBA veteran, was first drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 58th overall pick in 1979.

Cureton was a 6-9 forward and a member of two NBA championship teams, the 76ers in 1982-83 and the Houston Rockets in 1993-94. He spent three season in Detroit, playing from 1983-1986 before being traded to the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 season. The NBA veteran retired in 1997 after playing 674 games and averaging 5.4 points per game and 4.7 rebounds.

Cureton attended Detroit Finney High School before beginning  his college basketball career at Robert Morris University. In his final two seasons of collegiate play, Cureton played for Detroit Mercy with the legendary Dick Vitale. Detroit Mercy made the NCAA Tournament in 1979 under Cureton and Vitale, with Cureton leading the team with 19.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. In Jan. of 2020 his number 24 jersey was retired by the university.

After his 17 year long NBA career, Cureton served as a community ambassador for the Detroit Pistons. He would sometimes fill in during radio and television broadcast for the team when needed. The news of Cureton's passing shocked the NBA world completely.

Piston legend and NBA hall of famer Isiah Thomas, who played with Cureton during his stint with the Pistons said, “All of us are hurting. He was a tremendous teammate, tough competitor, a champion and a great human being. Earl always held the Detroit community close to his heart and worked tirelessly to make a difference for the city he loved. He will be greatly missed.”

The Detroit Piston origination also released a statement to the press about the passing of Cureton saying, “He represented our franchise with great passion and truly enjoyed working to give back and improve the lives of Detroiters in the city he loved so much. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Earl’s family and countless friends and teammates during this most difficult time.”

The NBA's first-ever in-season tournament kicked off on a Friday night, and teams donned their NBA City Edition jerseys. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers were among the first teams to compete at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

It seems like some people who follow pro basketball are a bit puzzled about how this tournament works. In an interview, even one NBA player was super honest about not really understanding what's going on. Los Angeles Clippers guard Bones Hyland told the media, "I ain’t even gonna lie, I don’t even know what’s going on. I don’t even know how it works. I don’t know anything honestly."

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For those curious about how to identify In-Season Tournament games, the NBA has made it quite clear. Home teams will wear new City Edition jerseys during these games, and each team will play on a different court.

Teams are introducing fresh court designs for the tournament. The Pacers' court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse has departed from its usual brown hardwood look, opting for a vibrant blue and yellow design to match the city jerseys, which this year pay tribute to street art and feature a combination of black, white, blue, and yellow, departing from the standard uniforms.

This is a major change in the visual department for viewers tuning in to the first NBA Cup action of the season, and it's stirring up mixed feelings among basketball fans.

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While most NBA teams will adhere to an 82-game regular season schedule in 2023-24, not all games carry the same weight. The NBA in-season tournament will consist of 67 games in the Group Play and Knockout Rounds, with only the championship game not affecting the regular season standings.

Group Play games for the In-Season Tournament will be scheduled on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, while the Knockout Rounds, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship, will occur in early December.

Viewers have been taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts on the new look. Check out some fan reactions below.

Similar to many reactions, this person found themselves resorting to the timeless meme of the woman in the pink blazer gazing into the distance. The flashy yellow and blue colors on the court seemed to grab their attention away from the game. This made them blurt out what most of us were probably thinking "Tryna see wtf is going on."

Surprisingly, there were individuals who appreciated the appearance and style of both the courts and uniforms. One person hesitated a bit before admitting their genuine liking for the visuals. They humorously remarked, "Me trying so hard not to get jumped on X because I actually like them," followed by a sweaty Jordan Peele GIF.

Somebody pointed a finger at the NBA, suggesting that they were specifically targeting a younger audience. They went as far as drawing a comparison between the courts' vibrant colors and those seen in the NBA 2K video game, commenting, "They got this from 2K to get the kids to watch." After watching the game, they're pretty spot on.

This response was too good to ignore. Someone handed out a hefty compliment to the court designers, using the word "passion" to describe their work. They commented, "Pacers got that 'Graphic design is my passion' court"

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This court design for the Bulls went all in with a single theme and color: red. It generated a variety of reactions. Some people commented on how the court resembled a "sunburn," while others thought it looked like blood.

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