Detroit Pistons Injury Rumors: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Has Groin Injury, Maybe Out Until Next Week

The Detroit Pistons have been showing tons of improvement this season with a rejigged lineup and the emergence of Andre Drummond as an offensive juggernaut. But one integral part of the team's resurgence will be away from action at least until next weekend's All-Star festivities.

The team announced that defensive-minded guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope suffered a right groin strain that caused him to miss the Pistons' 111-105 win over the New York Knicks last Thursday, and the same injury will sideline him up until the end of the All-Star break. The injury happened during their Wednesday defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics when he slipped on a wet area in the court.

Head coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters that Caldwell-Pope will be subjected to an MRI and further evaluation.

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The loss of the eight overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft will be a big loss to the Pistons' campaign of improving their standing in the Eastern Conference. They currently hold the last playoff spot (8th) but certainly would hope to go higher before facing the regular season's late push. The guard out of Georgia averages 14.6 points per game, but he mostly will be missed for his defense against the opposing team's wing scorers.

The Pistons are hoping he'll get right back into action on Feb. 19 against the Washington Wizards. They need all the help they can get right now to be able to secure that last spot in time for the playoffs. Well, if Van Gundy's response to Caldwell-Pope's injury is any indication, it certainly looks as if they're not that worried. Or maybe his jokes to the press are a sign that the injury isn't really that serious after all.

And because the injury falls under the "short-term" category, the team isn't expected to make any major trades before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. At this point, Detroit does not need new faces. All they need is to play more consistently.

And by the way, Drummond should start making his free throws!