It was the moment that every Derrick Rose and Cleveland Cavaliers fans have feared. Rose being injured and not returning to the game. Of course, the young NBA season has seen worse, but the fact being it’s Rose who’s involved adds more alarm given his history with season-ending injuries.
The former MVP has been a sight to behold for the Cavs with his swashbuckling ways of driving hard to the basket, showing flashes of his old deadly self. But for now, all that’s left to do is wait and hope for the best.
Derrick Rose’s bad fall was the result of a hard foul from Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe — one which prompted the referees to double check if it warranted a flagrant. But upon review, Monroe was assessed a personal foul, much to the dismay of the Cavs’ starting point guard.
“I think I’m the only person in the league that’s not getting a flagrant for that call, bro. Come on, man. Like, I’m sure I’m the only player, but it is what it is. … That’s a common foul. Wow. Come on.”
Tom Lynn/The Associated Press
Derrick Rose was having a good game, scoring 12 points in 23 minutes of action. Fortunately for Cleveland, the game began to tilt in their favor, but not because of losing their player. They simply proved too much to handle, and too experienced, for the young Bucks team.
Tyronn Lue said that the injury was an ankle sprain, but it looked really bad and it brings flashes of Gordon Hayward’s unfortunate mishap against the Cavs. Despite the setback, Derrick Rose offers a positive outlook on his injured ankle.
“I haven’t had any problems with my ankle in a long time,” Rose said. I don’t even wear braces anymore, which lets you know. So, I haven’t had any problems with it. Now, just got to make sure I get treatment, and if anything, I don’t lose the conditioning that I’ve built up and that I have right now. I’m in great shape right now, so I’ll be back.”
The Cavs return home to face the Magic tonight in Cleveland. If Rose misses action, Lue is leaning towards bringing in Jose Calderon to not disrupt the chemistry within his second unit.
Sans Rose, more playmaking burden shifts toward LeBron James and Dwyane Wade — which isn’t really a bad thing.