Cavs news from this weekend includes Derrick Rose revealing that he is “happy” to be in Cleveland. Rose won an NBA MVP Award with the Chicago Bulls but played a dismal year with the New York Knicks last season. Rose then signed a one-year free-agent contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, admitting that the sales pitch from LeBron James was a pretty good one.

Speaking at the practice facility in Ohio, Rose talked about how difficult the past few seasons have been for him. He also touched on how his mental approach was affected a lot by not just his injuries, but in a feeling that he needed to play “revenge basketball” while with the Knicks and Bulls.

"I was in a dark place years ago, man. By a dark place, I mean, I was playing, like, revenge basketball, and that wasn't my way of playing basketball.”

High praise from Cavs coach Tyronn Lue

Speaking about Derrick Rose and how the point guard has looked in practices, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue had a lot to say. Most of it was quite positive, which should not only quell any fears that Cavs fans may have had about team chemistry, but also that the Rose in Cleveland may be the one who played for the Chicago Bulls.

Could Rose be an All-Star caliber point guard again? Lue was asked if he thought that Rose could get back to his former superstar level, to which the coach stated, “From what I have seen, yes.” That’s a glowing endorsement from a coach who is just getting to know Rose and it couldn’t have been any better.

If Rose is healthy, he could be a very dangerous weapon for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

More Cavs news from the past week

With the free agent signing of Dwyane Wade, a projected starting lineup for the Cavs was also revealed. While Tyronn Lue has been pretty cagey with his answers about what he will do when the regular season begins, the NBA analysts have been putting together win projections based on those Cavs rumors.

One possible lineup would have Derrick Rose at point guard, Wade at shooting guard, LeBron James at small forward, Kevin Love at power forward, and Tristan Thompson at center.

Rose is going to hold down the starting point guard job until Isaiah Thomas has fully recovered from offseason surgery. The Cavs have a nice luxury here because if Rose is playing great basketball, there will be no need to rush Thomas back to the court. When he debuts in January, he should also be well-rested, which should only help the Cleveland Cavaliers as they try to get right back to the NBA Finals.