The Timberwolves signed free agent point guard Derrick Rose for the rest of the season on Thursday. You may remember Rose from such hits as “starring for current Timbewolves coach-president Tom Thibodeau on the Bulls like half of the Timberwolves roster” and “putting up empty stats for the Knicks last year” and “being quite awful for the Cavaliers this season.”
Tom ThiboD’OH
We have that and more in Friday’s NBA newsletter.
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Given that Rose looked as close as ever to retirement when Cleveland sent him out amid their multi-trade upheaval in February, kudos to him for continuing to believe he can still be an NBA player. Perhaps Thibodeau can unlock something in his former star.
But most vocal Minnesota fans are apoplectic about the move, which should cut into Tyus Jones’ playing time. Rose was unbearably bad for Cleveland, with more turnovers than assists, low shooting percentages, and atrocious defense. The only argument is his favor is that he’s only 29 and is a former MVP. He hasn’t been a good player in years, and he’s unreliable, having left his team abruptly in each of the past two seasons. I don’t get it.
Thibodeau should be riding a wave of goodwill for ending the Timberwolves’ playoff drought. He’s cashing that goodwill in on some weird things.
Scores Galore ...
BKN 125, CHA 111
PHI 99, MIA 108
BOS 117, MIN 109
PHX 87, OKC 115
SAS 107, GSW 110
... And So Much More
Oh yeah, and the Timberwolves lost on Thursday, too. At least it wasn’t to one of the other teams in the West playoff race. Minnesota is tied for No. 6 with OKC and the Clippers with 29 losses.
The Awful Eight went 1-1, with the Nets beating up on a suddenly skidding Charlotte squad. Brooklyn’s win drops it back into sole possession of No. 7 at 21 wins. Keep in mind that Brooklyn is the only team involved that has no incentive to lose. They just stink.
Big win for Miami over Philadelphia in terms of tiebreakers, though the Sixers are up two games in the loss column.
Stephen Curry tweaked his right ankle and it looks like he’ll stay in the Bay Area for the Warriors’ two-game swing through Portland and Minnesota. Kevin Durant came to the rescue on Thursday to finish off the Spurs.
Jaylen Brown had a pretty scary injury, hitting his head on the floor. But he’s okay.
Shouts to all those honored in the 2017 Pro Basketball Writers Association Blumenthal Memorial Writing Contest ... including our very own PROFESSOR PAUL FLANNERY, who took second place (behind Woj) in columns for his piece on Russell Westbrook for MVP. Kudos!
Don’t think for one single, solitary second that LeBron James cares what seed the Cavaliers have.
I wrote about the future of the Spurs, which is tenuous only if this Kawhi Leonard smoke leads to fire.
Ten reasons to keep watching DeMar DeRozan’s nasty dunk on the Pistons, starring Kyle Lowry, Kyle Lowry, and Kyle Lowry.
I mentioned the whispers around the Bucks potentially looking at Becky Hammon as a head coach candidate. Here’s an argument that the Grizzlies should consider it, too.
Rick Carlisle decided to answer a question about the reports this week that Mark Cuban was investigated but not charged for sexual assault in Portland in 2011. Carlisle called the report in Willamette Week “very sad” and “a baseless and journalistically unethical rehashing of a non-event.” He also called it “the most insidious form” of fake news. Here’s the thing, though: the report wasn’t fake news. The report said police investigated Cuban for sexual assault after an allegation was made. The report said the District Attorney did not find enough corroborating evidence to file charges, which is fairly common in these types of cases. The report of what happened -- accusation, investigation, dismissal -- was, by all accounts, accurate and balanced. That’s, uh, not fake news, buddy. You’re going to make that claim given how Cuban himself appears to have misled the public on what he knew about the repeat domestic abuser on his payroll? You’re going to call the reporting of a legitimate police investigation insidious while the franchise that pays you millions of dollars is under investigation for harboring a viciously hostile workplace for women for two decades? Give me a Texas-sized break, coach.
On to happier news: the game of the season is Friday! Rockets vs. Raptors will be coming to you from ... League Pass, unless you live in Houston or T-Dot. 7:30 p.m. ET. Be there. NBA TV has Wizards-Pelicans at 8 and Cavaliers-Clippers at 10:30. ABC’s Saturday showcase is Spurs-Thunder at 8:30 p.m. ET. On Sunday ABC has Warriors-Wolves at 3:30 p.m. ET and ESPN has Cavaliers-Lakers at 9. (Oh boy.)
Be excellent to each other.
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