Is this the end of Derrick Rose’s career?
We have that and more in Monday’s NBA newsletter.
He had been an awful fit as a starting point guard with Cleveland due to his inability to shoot and a lack of opportunities with the ball as a LeBron James sidekick. He never really fit the scheme Cleveland runs; he just happened to be a point guard with a pulse who might have had something left. Whatever he does have left wasn’t helping the Cavaliers. He’d been battling yet another injury, this one to his ankle. He hasn’t played in 20 days now.
Those around the Cavaliers appear at least somewhat concerned about Rose’s state of mind. Ty Lue is declaring that he expects Rose back at some point, even if he’s not going to play. LeBron is talking about how the team needs Rose, even if he’s not playing. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Nick DePaula reports that if he retired, Rose would be leaving some $80 million in Adidas endorsement money on the table. That seems like an unreasonable thing to do.
Whatever the case, Rose appears just about done as an NBA player. Other players have come back from catastrophic and persistent injury to find success late in their careers. Rose does not seem to be on that path. He appears destined to become the first NBA MVP to fail to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Let’s hope for the sake of his children he can keep his off-court life together.
Scores Galore ...
FRIDAY
POR 127, BKN 125
NYK 104, ATL 116
ORL 103, BOS 118
CHA 99, CLE 100
TOR 104, IND 107
MIA 109, MIN 97
DET 99, OKC 98
MEM 92, DEN 104
NOP 115, PHX 91
CHI 94, GSW 143
SATURDAY
SAS 106, CHA 86
ORL 111, PHI 130
POR 108, WAS 105
TOR 112, ATL 78
BOS 108, IND 98
NYK 102, HOU 117
OKC 81, DAL 97
NOP 95, GSW 110
MIL 108, UTA 121
LAC 97, SAC 95
SUNDAY
MIA 100, CHI 93
PHX 108, MIN 119
BKN 98, MEM 88
... And So Much More
We have a bit of a situation in Milwaukee: Video appears to show Giannis Antetokounmpo in an argument with Bucks assistant coach Sean Sweeney, yelling at the coach, “I’ll f--k you up.” Well, then! This isn’t a huge deal unless Milwaukee makes it one. But the Bucks are in a bit of a tailspin that needs fixin’.
We have reached a new low point in the Thunder’s horror season: a blow-out loss to the Mavericks.
Speaking of low points, the Grizzlies have now lost eight straight, and it is breaking Memphis.
Here’s Seerat Sohi on the confounding, confusing Wizards, who will now miss John Wall for a couple of weeks.
Good piece by Kristian Winfield on how Andre Iguodala eats a limited amount of meat to stay strong enough to jostle with LeBron.
Did LeBron kill the Trump SoHo? The hotel is rebranding without the president’s name soon, and an employee told The New York Times that once LeBron declared he wouldn’t stay there, the hotel’s sports team and corporate business dried up.
Over the weekend, the Rockets trailed the Knicks by 22 and eventually opened up a 23-point lead. (Houston won by 15.) They really do remind me of the mid-2000s Suns, who did the same type of thing. The reason is the same: They shoot so many more threes than anyone else that volatility is high. It’s worth noting that they have the same coach, too. Dude will keep that green light on no matter what.
On Sunday, Miami and Chicago finished the first quarter with 20 points...combined. The Heat had seven of those but still finished with 100 for the game because Bulls.
Speaking of the Bulls, Jordan Bell trolled them hard over their decision to trade him to the Warriors for cash considerations on the night of the NBA draft.
David Roth on the Sixers’ fandom’s new reality.
Why is there still no timetable on Kawhi Leonard’s return, and how did we get here? Meanwhile, Tony Parker is back on Monday.
Among the many, many things LeBron does better than me: throw a wine night.
DraftExpress is at the center of an important lawsuit about fair use for video clips.
The best thing about the FIBA World Cup qualifiers so far is this floor drying genius in Luanda, Angola.
Eight games set for Monday, including Mavericks-Spurs on NBA TV (8:30 p.m. ET). The East has a couple of blockbusters on League Pass: Cavaliers-Sixers at 7 and Celtics-Pistons at 7:30.
Be excellent to each other.
