Derrick Rose, while not his former MVP-like self, could be the steal of the entire offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Over the course of the last nine seasons, there have only been five MVPs, that alone would put Derrick Rose in extremely elite company. The 2010-11 MVP now has the chance to team up with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to help them knock off the Golden State Warriors.
While most think that a Derrick Rose addition might not even help that much, I’m here to say that it will at least give them a respectable bench, and that is enough to give him a chance.
Before we even get to how Rose would enhance their bench, let’s take a peek at how much Rose would be giving up. Rose, for the past five seasons, has received over $15 million per season. That, my friends, is a ton of money.
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In Cleveland, it seems he would be getting the veteran’s minimum at $2.3 million. With another offer from the Lakers, Rose would mean business if he comes to Cleveland. If the Cavaliers could get Rose’s Knick teammate Carmelo Anthony, they might finally have the pieces in place to make a good run at the Golden State Warriors in 2018.
Now, to the positives of Rose’s addition. The biggest plus is, like previously stated, his ability to increase their lackluster bench play. While the Cavaliers averaged the NBA’s fourth most points per game at 110.3, it certainly wasn’t because of their bench that averaged 29.1 points and was 28th in the NBA in that respect. Rose, by himself, averaged 18.0 points per game. With 4.4 assists per game to tag along with that, Rose could’ve easily been responsible for more points per game than Cleveland’s entire bench.
Rose only made 0.2 threes per game, so he isn’t exactly an elite sharpshooter. Of all his shots, 41.1% came within three feet of the rim, and of those shots, he shot 55.7%. That is exactly what the bench needs. They need the playmaking. The bench has elite sharpshooters like Channing Frye and Kyle Korver, so adding Rose as a playmaker could be huge for them.
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For what the Cavaliers’ crave, which is a bench playmaker, and for the price, $2.3 million, Derrick Rose could be the biggest steal of the offseason.