Westerlund: The Cavaliers Have A Derrick Rose Problem
By Cody Westerlund-
(CBS) As all the NBA's eyes tuned into the lone Thursday night contest before All-Star weekend begins, what began in a flash in mid-October became ever clearer for all to see.
Thinking big picture, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a problem. His name is Derrick Rose.
On Thursday, Rose continued his sterling play against the Cavaliers, leading the Bulls to a 113-98 win at the United Center with a team-high 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting. He added seven assists against just two turnovers, both committed late with the game out of reach, playing under control while also slicing up the Cleveland defense.
Considering the foe, it was arguably Rose's best game of the season.
"He's found a really good rhythm," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's got a great pace going right now and great decision-making. There's a balance between the attacks on the rim and the attacks on the paint, the mid-range game, the three, play-making. It's really gotten us into a good rhythm offensively."
In this comeback season of his following two major knee surgeries, Rose has displayed both brilliance and apathy. He's triggered attack mode and fallen into jump-shooting habits. More than anyone, he's symbolized the up-and-down season the talented Bulls (34-20) have had as they sit in third in the East entering the All-Star break.
Rose has blazed a different trail against the Cavaliers, though.
In 116 minutes of play against the Cavaliers this season, including the preseason, Rose has scored 98 points. His dominance started with a 30-point performance in an exhibition game on Oct. 20. It has largely continued in three regular-season matchups, in which the Bulls are 1-2, as Rose is averaging 22.7 points on 46 percent shooting with just five turnovers total. The numbers would likely be even flashier if Rose didn't leave the teams' first contest early with an ankle injury.
To date, we've learned Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving certainly can't stay in front of Rose. Wing Iman Shumpert didn't have much luck Thursday either, and it's a safe bet that J.R. Smith won't ever be the answer. While Matthew Dellavedova did the best to keep Rose out of the lane, every minute of Dellavedova is one in which a Cleveland team with championship aspirations is trotting out a replacement-level player.
Rose maintains that he doesn't play harder or become more focused against big-name point guards, but anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. He's played well against Irving, the Wizards' John Wall, the Raptors' Kyle Lowry and the Blazers' Damian Lillard this season. His best defensive performance came in dogging Warriors MVP candidate Stephen Curry into a poor shooting night.
"I just compete," Rose said. "However the game is going or if I see something is going on, I'm going to go out there and play the way I think I should play. I never go into the matchups (thinking), 'I have to do better than this person.' It just comes out."
Just as important as the 30 points he scored Thursday was how Rose went about his whole game. While it wasn't vintage high-flying Rose, he consistently probed, prodded, slashed and frustrated Cleveland's defense, which opened opportunities for teammates on the offensive boards and – if not off his dish – on the second pass.
Of Rose's 24 shots Thursday, nine were charted as layups/dunks. On top of that, another four shots came within six feet. He also went to the free-throw line six times, and his penetration was part of the reason Tony Snell got open looks and went 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Rose must've have attacked to the paint 20 or 25 times Thursday, on a low-end guess. That's a simple formula for a Bulls win.
"It's all coming (together)," Rose said. "There's so many things I can go to in the lane, I just got to put it all together.
"I'm very happy with where I'm at. I'm loving the way that I'm playing, but like I said, I can always do better."
In evaluating the game's result, it's worth noting the Cavaliers were missing power forward Kevin Love. It's also worth noting Love would've made little to no difference in slowing Rose, as he's a poor rim protector.
Rose is also taking care of the ball much better recently. He's still 12th in the NBA in turnovers, but he's had just seven in the past four games. His strategy Thursday was to "be patient with the ball" so the Cavaliers couldn't get out in transition, and it worked. Cleveland had just 12 fast-break points and only five in the first 36 minutes.
Such decision-making from Rose will go a long way in deciding how far the Bulls go come playoff time. That may include a matchup with the dangerous Cavaliers, who likewise have championship aspirations but may need to find an answer – LeBron James defending for extended stretches? – for Rose to achieve their ultimate goal.
"At the end of the day," Bulls big man Joakim Noah said, "I know when it's the big game, I'll take him over anybody."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
