Why the Cavs plan for Derrick Rose makes perfect sense

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the perfect plan for Derrick Rose once he returns.

In a report from cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue discussed his plan for using Derrick Rose once he returns. He’ll play in place of Dwyane Wade so that the elder statesmen can get needed rest.

"“I think playing D Wade on a lot of back to backs has been tough for him,” Lue said Friday, after the team practiced in Orlando. “Some games where he doesn’t feel great, but we don’t really have the extra ball handler to sit him. So when D Rose gets back, he’ll definitely help with that and help with D Wade getting his rest and being able to feel good on the floor.”"

It makes sense. On back-to-backs (versus days when he has at least one day of rest), Wade shoots his lowest field goal percentage (28.6) and records his lowest points (9.2) and assists (3.4) per game. He subsequently records his worst offensive rating (86) on these occasions.

Obviously, rest is important for the soon-to-be 36-year-old.

In the last seven seasons, Wade has only played at least 70 games in two of them. One of those seasons was the 2010-2011 season.

In other words, a long time ago. With that said, Wade is going to miss games and while finding a role for Rose to make an impact may not seem important, it could make the Cleveland Cavaliers more dangerous. Besides, the team has spectacular depth. So why not use it?

Like Wade, Rose is a hesitant three-point shooter. Both players have career three-point shooting percentages below 30.0. Both players are slashers who are creative finishers around the rim and guards who utilize the midrange, although Wade’s attempts are more likely to come in isolation and Rose’s from the pick-and-roll.

As far as scoring goes, while Wade may be more aesthetically pleasing to watch, Rose and Wade have enough similarities to their games for the second unit to continue being a dominant unit.

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Where Rose will need to improve, especially playing in place of Wade, is as a facilitator. After seven games with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rose only recorded 12 assists. In 35 games, Wade has made 131 assists. While Rose’s sample size is much smaller, he was only pace to have 60 assists after 35 games. That’s less than half (45.8 percent) as many assists as Wade would have.

No excuses. A player who averages 6.1 assists per game for his career should be doing better than that. Consider that for his career, Rose’s assist per game average is higher than Wade’s yet, this season, he’s been half the facilitator Wade has been.

Just look at this pass Rose makes at 1:07 in the video above.

By studying the actions that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ second units have become comfortable with and having both Jeff Green and Kyle Korver on the floor with him, efficient and quality players on the league’s fifth-best bench unit.

Hopefully, Rose’s presence brings Channing Frye back into the fold, as his shooting ability will open up the paint for Rose and company to attack.

Rose is one of the most polarizing figures within the Cavs organization with his cult following being juxtaposed by advanced statisticians and basketball analysts who say that not only is Rose no longer what he was after an injury-plagued career but that he doesn’t fit in the modern NBA. In today’s league, players — guards in particular  — are expected to make shots from the perimeter.

Part of this is due to the rise of the three-point shot’s prominence in analytics, as the efficiency of three-point shots dwarfs that on midrange and long-range twos. Part of this due to the transcendence of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, the best shooter and shooting team in NBA history. A team that’s won two championships in the last three seasons behind their dominance on the perimeter, ball-movement, defense and versatility.

All of those are criticism’s of Rose that he has a chance to prove are wrong.

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To be frank, it doesn’t seem to be about the Rose’s perimeter shooting since other players are successful without a three-point shot and not chided for not having one (Shaun Livingston for instance). It doesn’t seem to be his defense either, as Rose’s solid defensive performances are overlooked so that bad ones can be the headline. Versatility is effected by his lack of a three-point shot, as he’s not a great off-ball threat without one, and his lack of a post game. However, he’s a player who likely could defend multiple positions with his size (6-foot-3) and length (7-foot wing span).

It’s about Rose not resembling the breathtaking player who John Wall before John Wall. Russell Westbrook before Russell Westbrook. Fans should stop expecting that and appreciate Rose for the player he is; a guard who can get to the basket and make plays around the rim, a solid midrange shooter and a good passer. Now that Rose sees how what the Cavs need from their second unit point guard, he knows what he needs to replicate and that should simplify things for him.

Often, Rose seemed hell-bent on getting to the rim or getting contact and while that’s a staple of the second unit so is ball-movement.

Wade isn’t Flash anymore but his game has aged well even when his body hasn’t. Rose can still dominate but in today’s league, he needs to show and expand the dimensions to his game.

Even if him staying true to his attacking style is what gets him guaranteed buckets, evolution is what keeps players in the league.

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