The return of Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose remains unclear after he missed his second straight game with an ankle sprain. Rose originally sustained the injury on October 20 and returned October 29. In his first three games back from injury, Rose looked completely recovered as he scored 15, 19 and 20 points against the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and the Washington Wizards, respectively. However, Rose scored just 10 points in the each of the Cavaliers next two games against the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks, shooting a combined 8-of-22 from the field and committing eight turnovers with just three assists.
According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, Rose said there’s no pop in his step and his jumpers, adding he returned from his recovery too soon. “I was just trying to give whatever I had to the team. But now I have to be smart,” said Rose. Iman Shumpert has taken over Rose’s place in the last two games, scoring seven points and issuing five assists against the Houston Rockets. He scored six points and grabbed eight boards in their win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Nets playmaker to miss several games
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Brooklyn Nets starting point guard D'Angelo Russell will miss several games after suffering a left knee injury against the Utah Jazz Saturday (Nov. 11). Russell’s injury will leave the Nets thin at point guard as they also lost Jeremy Lin to a season-ending injury.
With Russell out, Spencer Dinwiddie will take over playmaking duties until he returns. This season, Russell leads the Nets in scoring with an average of 20.9 points per game. The Los Angeles Lakers selected Russell second overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, hoping that he could turn around the franchise. However, he was a disappointment in his second year, averaging just 15.6 points and 4.8 assists per game.
The Lakers then traded him to the Nets for center Brook Lopez.
Jazz center out 4-6 weeks
Shams Charania of The Vertical reported that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert will be sidelined for four-to-six weeks due to a knee injury that he suffered against the Miami Heat Friday (Nov. 10). The Jazz confirmed the report, saying Gobert’s MRI revealed a right tibia contusion.
The team said the 7-foot-1 center will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Gobert suffered the injury when Dion Waiters fell into his leg during a scramble for a loose ball late in the third quarter. After the game, Gobert criticized Waiters for his “dirty play” that led to the injury.
