Kyrie Irving is in Boston, and it’s looking like Isaiah Thomas is going to miss some serious time. That leaves Derrick Rose as starting nominal point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James, the team’s functional point guard, is invested in Rose’s career, said ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Wednesday on The Jump:
First, McMenamin reported that Rose has been “killing it” in practice. He then said that: “I’ve also heard that LeBron is invested in Derrick Rose’s career, so he can get that next contract.”
This is interesting. Perhaps James has fond memories of his competitions against Rose’s Bulls back in Rose’s heyday?
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Rose have a nice season. After all, no player does a better job at elevating those around him than LeBron James.
On the other hand, Rose isn’t exactly the prototypical player to put next to LeBron James. Rose isn’t a good shooter. He’s best with the ball in his hands, attacking the hoop. He’s not the off-ball, spot-up sort of guy that thrives next to LeBron. For that reason, he makes a lot more sense as a bench spark, which is what he’ll be when Isaiah Thomas returns.
