The NBA may have listened to Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose. Last Friday, Rose suffered a left ankle sprain after receiving a hard foul from Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe while in mid-air. Despite the contact, the referees just called a regular foul.
Rose expressed disappointment following the game. He believed that the officials should have called a flagrant (1) on Monroe. The Cavaliers newcomer got his wish Saturday as the NBA changed the ruling from a regular foul to a flagrant 1. In a report by ESPN, Rose said he "feel a little justified" with what the league did.
Nothing serious
In ESPN's report, Derrick Rose also revealed that his ankle injury is nothing serious, which is good news for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said it is "mild" and added that the ankle is receiving treatment since Friday night. It seems like the healing process is going well for Rose, despite this, he is in no rush to return to action.
Rose missed one game already. The 29-year-old was out when the Orlando Magic embarrassed the Cavaliers Saturday night for a 114-93 win. The Cavs' next outing is on Tuesday versus his former squad, the Chicago Bulls. His status for the contest remains uncertain at this point. It is likely that head coach Tyronn Lue will opt to rest Rose instead of taking risks, which could lead to him aggravating the injury.
JC must step up
The Cleveland Cavaliers' replacement for Derrick Rose is another veteran in Jose Calderon. Unfortunately, Calderon had no significant impact in his first start this 2017-18 season. In the Cavaliers' loss to the Magic, Calderon was on the court for almost 15 minutes. The 36-year-old managed to record just two points, two rebounds, and two assists with the playing time given to him.
It is clear that Calderon is aging and is no longer the playmaker he used to be. But he must step up, especially since he is playing for an organization like the Cavaliers. If he fails to do so, the Cavs may need to find a new replacement for Rose.
Another option for the Cavaliers is to assign the point guard duties to one of the players currently on the roster.
There are guys on the team capable of handling the ball and facilitating the offense. One of them is Rose's fellow newcomer, Dwyane Wade. Wade recently shared that he is still trying to identify what his role in Cleveland is. Taking the responsibilities of the starting point guard could help Wade in his mission.