Whether Derrick Rose returns or not, the Cavs will be OK

Whether or not (NBA legend) Derrick Rose returns to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers or not, the Cavs will be OK.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Derrick Rose to be Kyrie Irving’s backup in the offseason, there was a mix of reactions from the signing usually reserved for players with traditional star power.

Rose, the youngest NBA MVP in league history, saw his star power gradually fade with every return to the operating table. In addition, while there were those who saw Rose’s athleticism diminish and stopped seeing him as a valuable player in the league, there were other’s still who saw – and heard – Rose in a civil court case regarding his sexual conduct with a former girlfriend and cringed. The latter, more than the former, has much to do with the perception of Rose.

That’s why, even after averaging 18.0 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent against the field for the Phil Jackson Era New York Knicks, Rose was said to be “washed”. It’s beating a dead horse to mention that Rose’s athleticism isn’t what it used to be and so he’s no longer the same player he once was but there was never a point where the NBA world was ready to analyze Rose for what he currently is or could become with a greater focus on technique.

Consider that he played in an offensive system that the majority of NBA followers considered to be outdated and one that, after seven years of playing for Vinny Del Negro and Tom Thibodeau with the Chicago Bulls, was completely new to him. If Austin Rivers put up that stat line, there would be headlines reading “Has Austin Rivers Finally Arrived?”.

With Rose, it’s just the punchline to a new joke.

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So, after yet another injury and on his second team in the past two seasons, of course the recent string of events is starting to take a toll on Rose mentally. Especially after his exuberance in joining a championship-contending squad and constant talk of learning how to take care of his body from observing LeBron James, a player whose never torn anything except the sleeves off of his jersey and whose only broken bone was a wrist fracture he suffered in high school.

Sure, Rose didn’t have an absolutely stellar start for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He often got tunnel vision on drives and his inclination not to shoot outside jumpers made it look like he was fixated on his next contract more than the next play. When he did try to make plays for others, it looked like he lacked chemistry with his teammates.

However, before Rose went out with injury, every player except James, Jeff Green and Kyle Korver were struggling to excel in their role. The team itself often looked just like what they were, a team with more unfamiliar pieces in the rotation than familiar faces on the team.

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That’s why numbers like his 0.63 assist-to-turnover ratio, while mediocre, had to be taken with a grain of salt. A grain of salt that never existed, unfortunately.

Rose, who was averaging 14.0 points per game on 47.0 percent shooting, was being targeted for his poor three-point percentage (23.1 percent). However, Dwyane Wade, another player who was never known as a three-point threat, is shooting 23.5 percent from three-point range. Rose’s struggles from outside were only a talking point because it’s Rose.

Rose’s defensive rating (116) is currently the worst on the team but when watching the games, he was generally solid when defending his man. While the Cavs were giving up a lot of perimeter penetration, at the start of the season it was actually J.R. Smith and Jae Crowder (ironically, two of the team’s best perimeter defenders) allowing blow-bys in the starting unit.

Roses’s effort when guarding on-ball was so much different from what Cavs’ fans had become accustomed to with Irving in the regular seasons, it’s a wonder that Rose’s defense wasn’t praised despite the numbers (for the record, Crowder, Shumpert, Jeff Green and Kevin Love each allow defenses to shoot a higher percentage than Rose).

Here’s where things really get interesting though. Despite the way Rose is unfairly criticized as a basketball player, the Cleveland Cavaliers have done so well without him on the court, they really don’t need him.

They needed him when Isaiah Thomas was limping around Cleveland Clinic Courts rather than playing one-on-one on the practice court. They needed him when Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue was playing James, one of the most methodical passers in the league at point guard.

James’ court vision and basketball IQ will never be a problem but for a team that needs to push the pace and have a second player capable of consistently toting the rock and probing the teeth of the defense, starting James at point guard. With Shumpert’s improved play and Calderon’s savvy game, the Cavs have had a player capable of pushing the pace, getting his teammates involved and hitting shots off-the-dribble or in a catch-and-shoot situation beside James. That was really all that was needed.

Luckily, while Shumpert’s improved play or presence (as he has his own durability issues) isn’t a guarantee and neither is Calderon’s, the Cavs are on a seven-game win streak. In addition, with Thomas looking like his Cavs debut can come any day, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a squad that nobody is worried about anymore.

Such is the juxtaposition between Rose and the Cavs.

Both parties can cause hysteria with their failures but only one party can escape the doubts levied at them with inspired and improved play.

While Rose takes the time to decide on his NBA future, his son P.J. is sure to be at the forefront of whatever decision he makes. Whatever Rose decides to do – and to be frank, I hope at least this excerpt finds its way to a screen in front of Rose – P.J. should know his daddy was a NBA legend.

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*Unless otherwise referenced, all stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com