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Cleveland Cavaliers: Complete 2017 offseason grades

By Josh Cornelissen

BOSTON, MA - MAY 17: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shakes hands with Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Boston Celtics before the game during Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 17, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 17: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shakes hands with Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Boston Celtics before the game during Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 17, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images /

Signing Rose

There are often two sides to every story, and that especially applies in the NBA. Players who agree to small contracts often have a motivation, just as the front office that signed them does.

Similarly, players that cash in on mammoth deals that look too large from the start are negotiating those contracts with front offices that have a goal too. Moves that look perfect aren’t without risk, and moves that seem misguided are not without upside.

On the surface, Derrick Rose is a terrible fit on the Cleveland Cavaliers. In a league where point guards need to shoot to be effective, Rose shot just 21.7 percent from 3-point range last season with the New York Knicks.

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    • While that was a career low, it was far from an outlier; Rose is a career 29.8 percent shooter from distance, clearing 30 percent in just three of his eight seasons. The Cavaliers’ offense is centered on shooters spotting up around penetrating ball-handlers, and if Rose can’t spot up that means he is taking the ball out of the hands of LeBron James.

    Rose is also a poor defender, an infrequent passer and brings a large suitcase of off-court baggage. Last season he disappeared before a game, with team officials mystified as to his location at tip off. He had gone home to take care of a family issue without alerting anyone with the Knicks.

    But there are always two sides, and for Rose that centers on the price. For all of his warts, he is an accomplished offensive player with postseason experience. At the veteran’s minimum of $2.3 million, that’s a reasonable signing. Add in the Cavaliers’ inability to add more expensive options and the decision is even more defensible.

    Rose’s strength has always been his ability to penetrate the defense, and with Kyrie Irving gone and Isaiah Thomas potentially unavailable, this team needs someone to serve as a secondary creator. When Thomas is healthy Rose will be on bench units featuring Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder and Channing Frye — plenty of shooting around his drives.

    There may have been better fits out there, but at the minimum this is a move that makes sense. If Rose is forced to start for a significant portion of the season then the Cavs could be in trouble, but no one they were signing was going to be starter-quality for the minimum. This is the sort of reasonable but largely not impactful move the Cavaliers have to make at this point.

    Grade: C+

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