While it’s still only preseason, it seems the Cleveland Cavaliers signed the same Derrick Rose that beat out LeBron James for the MVP during the 2011-2012 season.
It’s preseason, and LeBron James sat this one out, but, man, Derrick Rose was looking sharp. Driving hard, hitting the deep ball, and helping his Cleveland Cavaliers’ first unit lay down the hammer on the Indiana Pacers. With the return of the real Derrick Rose, thinking about his future as the Cavaliers permanent point guard comes to mind.
Here is Rose’s and Wade’s first-half highlights as they did put down a beating on the Pacers.
Derrick Rose & Dwyane Wade combine for 29 PTS in the 1st half for the @cavs! #NBAPreseason pic.twitter.com/9Rh2u1kYSQ
— NBA (@NBA) October 7, 2017
The Pacers eventually won this game 106-102. The Cavaliers took a twelve point lead into halftime, but sadly, they drop to 0-2 this offseason. Although they haven’t cracked into the win column, the hope is obvious because their starting unit has been excellent.
In only fourteen minutes, Rose scored 15 points. He surprisingly went 2-for-2 from behind the arc and a solid 5-for-8 from the field. In his short minutes, he also put up 3 assists and 3 rebounds. The most telling stat is Rose’s +18 +/-. He was effective and helped his Cavaliers’ immensely while in.
Knowing Rose’s injury history, it is smart for Lue and his staff to keep his minutes limited in the preseason. Not only was Rose one of the most efficient Cavs shooting the ball, but he also played the entire game without a turnover. Last season, Thomas joined LeBron James in the top 20 in turnovers per game. If Rose can manage to keep the ball and limit his bad decisions, I think it is possible that he impresses Coach Tyronn Lue enough to keep his starting role even with a healthy Isaiah Thomas.
The other big reason why Rose could get more quality minutes is because of his defensive capability. Like much of the Cavaliers’ team, Rose is not known for his defensive prowess. But, the opposite is said of Isaiah Thomas and the Cavaliers’ former point guard Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers, unlike the 2016-2017 Celtics, have the scoring power of several stars. They do not need Thomas’ scoring to out-score opponents. But, they might need the difference in defensive ability between the two point guards to win some games. This will be something to monitor as Lue and his staff will have hard decisions come January when Thomas is expected back.
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Whether you want to believe it or not, somehow Derrick Rose is looking phenomenal, and if it keeps up this season, he may have earned himself a permanent starting spot for the championship-caliber Cleveland Cavaliers.
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