The Cleveland Cavaliers lost two of the last three games without starting point guard Derrick Rose (ankle injury). Good thing he’s going to be back in the lineup this Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans. Obviously, there’s a big void to fill after Kyrie Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics. But that’s just one of the problems for the Cavaliers.
Cavs head coach Ty Lue showed his concern about his team’s perimeter defense. In their first loss of the season, the Cavaliers gave up 17 3-point shots against the Orlando Magic. The next game, the Chicago Bulls also dropped another 17 3-pointers.
And then a huge upset from the hands of the Brooklyn Nets, which incidentally, also made 17 shots from beyond the arc.
Change is imminent
It’s not that he failed to remind his players of the coming shootout against the Nets; in fact, they knew what would happen against the Brooklyn Nets. “We come into the game, we told them they're second in the league in [three-point shot] attempts and they're getting them up,” coach Ty said following a 112-107 loss to the Nets as quoted by Cleveland.com.
Yet it happened anyway – three times in a row. But coach Ty won’t take this defensive meltdown sitting down, especially since he plans another rematch against the sweet-shooting Golden State Warriors, who currently leads the league in three-pointers made.
“Keep showing them, keep preaching it,” coach Ty hinted. “Keep showing them. And if guys continue not to do it, then we've got to make some changes.”
Derrick Rose returns
The defensive presence outside the perimeter could be attributed to Derrick Rose’s absence during the last three games. Though the former MVP is not known for his defense, his role in the rotation was sorely missed.
But Derrick Rose is more of an explosive type of player. And being part of the Cleveland Cavaliers, playing alongside LeBron James, Kevin Love and Dwyane Wade could give him the confidence to get back on track.
In a recent interview, Rose recognized the difference between playing for the Cavaliers and the New York Knicks, “There wasn’t no freedom [with the Knicks],” Rose told the New York Post.
“Here I got freedom,” referring to former Knicks president Phil Jackson’s insistence to use his triangle system.
The offensive-minded point guard of the Cavaliers is known to take any defenders to the hoop, big or small. “Coach Lue and the team have been doing a great job of letting me play the way that I want to play. So I can’t complain at all,” Rose said.
And coach Ty’s plan to match the aggressiveness of the Warriors by playing an up-tempo game is a perfect match for Derrick Rose. The former MVP is expected to suit up this Saturday as the New Orleans Hornets host the Cleveland Cavaliers.
