The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Rose returns, but Cavaliers lack of hustle costs them again
Don’t fret about the Cavaliers’ slow start to the 2017-18 season.
Coach Tyronn Lue isn’t worried about the Cavaliers, and his livelihood depends on their success.
Lue is basing his optimism partially on the return of point guard Derrick Rose, who missed the last four games with an ankle injury.
He was in the starting lineup on Oct. 29 when the Cavaliers were out of sync again in a 114-95 loss to the Knicks at The Q.
The Cavaliers clearly need more game time and practice time together. But being obliterated by the Knicks was more about a lack of hustle and desire than a lack of continuity.
The Cavs (3-4) have lost three straight games, and the final numbers from the latest loss show why: The Knicks out-rebounded the Cavs, 51-41, and had 27 assists compared to 21 for the Cavs.
Still, looking at the bigger picture, Lue sees brighter days ahead.
“The D-Rose injury really set us back,” Lue said before the game. “The first two games (which Rose played), I thought we were playing well, especially defensively. After that, it’s been tough trying to maneuver guys in and out of the point-guard position.”
The lineup that started against the Knicks — Rose at point guard, J.R. Smith at shooting guard, Tristan Thompson at center and LeBron James and Kevin Love at forward — was already the fifth combination Lue has used in just seven games.
He is confident the experimenting is over, at least until another injury forces him back into his laboratory.
Rose, in his first game back, was less than spectacular — 15 points, three assists and four turnovers in 31 minutes. The Knicks outscored the Cavs by 22 points when Rose was on the floor.
Still, it was only one game.
The season began with Thompson and Smith coming off the bench. Now Jae Crowder and Dwyane Wade are the ones coming off the bench along with Jeff Green, Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver. Shumpert missed the game with the Knicks because of a sore knee.
With all the experimenting Lue has done, the current lineup, if he does stick with it, is only one player different than the lineup that started most of last year. The difference is a big one, though — Rose at point guard instead of Kyrie Irving.
“Having four starters back and then adding DRose as our fifth starter makes it easier,” Lue said. “I think he’ll be able run the offense early on. With the new guys, we haven’t put a lot of stuff offensively. With our first unit, we’re able to get back to who we were offensively and defensively and simplify things. We need that juice and that spunk (from Rose).”
Not having Rose forced Lue to use James at point guard. Shumpert had to play out of position. Wade missed the 112-107 loss in Brooklyn because of a bruised knee.
Wade and Rose being out at the same time left the Cavs without two of their best ball-handlers. Plus, Isaiah Thomas is out another two months recovering from a hip injury he suffered in June while with the Celtics.
“All it’s going to do is make us better in the end,” Lue said.
The end, after all, is what the first five months of the season is all about — not a late-October loss to the Knicks.