The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of adding a former MVP to their roster.
According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN, the reigning Eastern Conference champions are in serious talks to sign Derrick Rose. The former New York Knicks point guard wants to stay close to Chicago, and Cleveland would offer him the chance. The Cavs would offer a $2.1 million deal to land Rose, and it has been reported both sides are “in advanced talks”.
Based on reports, the Cavs would employ Rose as the backup for Kyrie Irving, but he could also play as a shooting guard next to Irving. On paper, it seems like a good idea. Adding a former MVP who can add more scoring off the bench seems like a good move. However, if we look a bit deeper into the idea, it doesn’t look like a very good plan.
First, let’s take a look at how Rose played last season. The point guard averaged 18 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists last season with New York. He shot 47.1% from the field, but once again struggled with injuries and only played 64 games. The numbers look good and there is no question Rose will add scoring for the Cavaliers. The main problems are associated with his lack of effort and his playing style.
The Cavs’ ultimate goal should be to improve the roster in an effort to compete with the Golden State Warriors. And it’s not clear how Rose helps them in that department. Let’s look at how he fits with Cleveland, both on offense and defense. Spoiler alert: there’s not much of a fit here.
On offense, Rose doesn’t offer a lot of spacing on the floor, something that should be basic when competing against the Warriors. And on top of that, he needs to be the primary ball-handler to be (somewhat) effective on offense. As a result, Rose would likely take away touches from LeBron James and Irving. I’m pretty sure that’s not what Tyronn Lue wants, but Rose won’t be limited to second-unit duties only.
Furthermore, Rose also needs to develop a respectable three-point shot to help Cleveland. The arrival of Jose Calderon will certainly boost the team’s perimeter scoring, but Rose is almost a non-factor from long distance. After all, the former MVP shoots for 29.8% for three in his career, and last season he only made 21,7% of his three-point attempts. Again, that’s not good. Basically, we are talking about a scorer who needs the ball and can’t make threes. Barring comparison, it’s like if the Cavs suddenly added DeMar DeRozan to the roster.
Defensively things can get uglier. Rose has never been an elite defender, and his knee problems make him even worse. He would have to guard the likes of Stephen Curry and Shaun Livingston, or possibly Klay Thompson if he’d play as a shooting guard. And if we match up Curry against Rose, we could definitively see something like this happening:
Again, that’s not what the Cavs want. Or need.
Summing up, there is no question Rose makes the team better. It would be a great addition considering they will only pay him $2.1 million on a one-year deal. But he doesn’t help the Cavs in their quest to defeat the Warriors. And that’s the only thing Cleveland should have in mind when adding players to the roster.