Nuntius wrote:
Interesting. Isn't Rose supposed to return after the ASG? That's what the Wiretap said yesterday.
According to all sources, Granger will return prior to the ASG. So, during that time Indy could take a bigger lead on the Central.
Assuming the 2 teams stay neck and neck with each other sans Granger/Rose, I don't anticipate a few games of Granger's return will significantly tilt the order of the Central. Indy might jump out to a few games lead at most, but I also anticipate that at some point the Bulls will make a run with Rose back, even if his minutes are limited in the beginning.
There is also another question. Will Rose be close to 100% when he returns? It's well established that basketball players that suffered an ACL injury return to 100% in their 2nd year and not immediatedly after the end of the rehabilitation period.
He probably won't be the MVP caliber player he was before, but even a Rose at 80 or 90% is still more athletic than most PGs in the league. Just having a player that can handle the ball, score a little bit, play defense, will be huge. I'm personally tired of seeing Nate Robinson/Hinrich man the PG spot every game. It's a testament to Thibodeau's coaching this season that the Bulls have sustained a good record despite such persistent mediocrity from what is the most important position on the floor. To summarize my point more effectively, even if Rose comes back and has the impact of, say, Raymond Felton, the Bulls will still be a significantly better team as a result because he will fill a position that has given so little production to us all season.
Also, how will Rose adapt to a potential loss of athleticism? Will he invent an old-man game to fall back on?
He's always been a skilled player, regardless of the athleticism. He probably has the best floater in the league when he's playing. He plays the pick & roll well, can push the ball in transition, create open shots, and his penetration (even if not the same right away) frees up even more room for the bigs. What is already an elite offensive rebounding team, could get better by default just with Rose's presence.
Why do you think that? Granger is a better defender than Stephenson (who is doing great in his absence). With Granger in the line-up instead of Stephenson we add even more size and length in our line-up.
Granger gives more size but less speed than Stephenson; it is a trade off, imo. Not to mention that Granger has never really been hailed for his defense, in fact quite the contrary. The problem I also have with Granger is that too often he takes dumb shots (usually long 2s or chucks 3s) and as a result of these low% shots, puts his defense in a tough position because other teams can run out on the fast break. I'll reserve judgment until he plays though. Maybe he proves me wrong. But strictly going by what I've seen in the past from Granger, I definitely think Indy takes a step back defensively with him in the lineup.
