On Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers made their way to “Brew City,” as Milwaukee is affectionately known, for a matchup against the Bucks inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center. After a close game through two quarters, the Cavs, led by LeBron James’ 24 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, managed to pull away in the second half for a 116-97 victory.
During the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game, newly-acquired Cavs point guard Derrick Rose suffered a sprained ankle as he drove to the hoop. Bucks big man Greg Monroe, a player who is known for his physicality, gave Rose a hard foul in contention as the former MVP went up for a layup. As a result of his injury, Rose was unable to return to action.
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Inside the locker room, post-win, Rose, now 29 years of age, told reporters that he felt Monroe’s foul should have been called a flagrant. The play was reviewed, but the three-man officiating team of Marc Davis, Josh Tiven, and Gediminas Petraitis decided to uphold the original “common foul” call.
“I think I’m the only person in the league that’s not getting a flagrant for that call, bro,” Rose said after scoring 12 points in 23 minutes before exiting the game for good with 10:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. “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.”
Rose’s new teammate, Dwyane Wade, who finished with four points, three assists, two rebounds, and one steal in Friday night’s tilt, says he knows a thing or two about not getting calls from referees. The former Marquette Golden Eagle actually took the initiative to support Rose during the post-game interview.
“I ain’t got calls in the last seven years, so I definitely understand what he’s talking about,” Wade said. “It’s unfortunate, a guy goes down and he can’t protect himself. From what we’re told, as players, if they go around the neck it’s automatic. And, Derrick said it when he got here. He said, ‘Listen, y’all, I ain’t gonna get calls.’ And it continues to happen to him. But he’s going to keep attacking the rim. That’s his nature and that’s who he is and we know that. So, hopefully next time, it’s rewarded.”
The Cavs (2-0) will be back in action on Saturday night, when they host the Orlando Magic (1-1) inside Quicken Loans Arena at 8:00 p.m. EST. Head coach Tyronn Lue has already stated that he is “kind of assuming” Rose will sit out.