Detroit Pistons are ready to offer J. Cole his NBA tryout

The Detroit Pistons are leaving no stone unturned in their rebuild.

Everyone knew that new general manager Troy Weaver would need to seriously overhaul the Detroit Pistons to fix this unfortunate roster, but apparently the team is being very proactive in leaving no stone unturned.

As TMZ Sports reported over the weekend, rapper Master P has gone on the record saying J. Cole, one of the best current rappers in the game, is actively training to pursue an NBA career. Master P, who had two separate NBA contracts with the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in the ’90s, says the North Carolina icon came to him for advice and is dead serious about playing in the NBA.

The Pistons, meanwhile, are preparing to undergo a much-needed rebuild, and with only Christian Wood, Sekou Doumbouya and maybe Luke Kennard looking like long-term pieces, it was a pleasant surprise when the team reached out to Cole on Twitter:

Referencing Dreamville, J. Cole’s foundation and records company, the Pistons also included a reference to the rapper’s song “Friends” from the album KOD, where he says, “Every Black boy wanna be Pippen, but they only got 12 slots on the Pistons.”

While the Pistons are not quite as familiar as Cole’s native Charlotte Hornets, this is a pretty awesome use of Twitter. At the very least, it’s positive press for a franchise that badly needs it. Even if they’re not serious about giving Cole a tryout and are simply turning a relevant song lyric into a great tweet in the wake of the news that Cole wants an NBA tryout, this fanbase could use an injection of excitement.

Don’t be too surprised if this is more than just a Twitter joke though. J. Cole was a star basketball player in high school and tried out for St. John’s during his time in college before ultimately deciding to pursue a rap career instead. He’s still allegedly a great player, and every bit of action we’ve seen from him in NBA Celebrity Games has looked promising. Plus, who would it hurt to actually give him a shot and see what he’s got?

Okay, so maybe it feels like a desperate PR ploy for a Pistons squad that’s not participating in the NBA restart, but as the tweet itself mentions, this isn’t for the cynics. This one’s for the dreamers.