DETROIT – Is there anyone emotionally invested in the Pistons dissatisfied with the first three games of Derrick Rose’s run in Detroit?
Why, yes. Yes, there is.
“You think that, man?” Rose says when I ask what accounts for the fact he’s adapted so well and so quickly to a new role with a different team and a completely new set of teammates. “I think I’ve been playing, like, terrible, bro.”
Rose is averaging nearly a point a minute for the Pistons – 25.3 points in 26.3 minutes a game – and doing it with remarkable efficiency, shooting 64.6 percent.
If that counts as terrible, then it’s going to be a blast when Derrick Rose is ready to proclaim the Derrick Rose signing a major win for the Pistons.
The source of Rose’s personal consternation with his level of play to date traces to his turnovers. And, yup, 5.9 turnovers per 36 minutes is too many, though the sample size remains unreliable.
Beyond the inevitable correction of the numbers as games mount, there is ample reason to expect Rose will become truer in his decision making over time. It’s been a while since he’s been both a full-time point guard and healthy. The 1,392 minutes Rose logged last season were more than three times his total from the previous season and he spent most of it at shooting guard in Minnesota.
He’s certain a good number of his turnovers have been the result of mental and physical fatigue as he settles into the season after a training camp in which the Pistons were understandably cautious with him and as he gears back up to being the guy with the ball in his hands on every possession.
“It’s both, your body and brain. It’s been a while since I’ve been at the point guard position,” he said. “Last year I was at the two most of the year, so decision making. That’s why my threes were up. I was shooting a lot of set shots. Now having the ball in my hands, I’ve got to get back to adjusting that way and it’s taking my time and just being patient.”
Dwane Casey would love – love, love, love – to turn Rose loose and play him the 35-plus minutes a game Rose logged in his first four seasons when he was a three-time All-Star and the 2011 MVP. But that’s not in the cards, not at 31 and with Rose’s ugly history of knee injuries. That’s one reason the Pistons aren’t considering starting Rose even with Reggie Jackson out with lower-back tightness. It’s harder to keep Rose’s minutes under 30 if he’s going to start and be available for the more critical role of closing.
“We all know his medical history,” Casey said after Sunday’s practice. “If he was young Derrick Rose, no, we wouldn’t be talking about minute limits or load management. But we have to be smart.”
He’s not going to get any arguments from Rose. For as thoroughly competitive as Rose is – survey NBA players and Rose’s name will be on the tips of every tongue – his body has betrayed him too often for him to raise any objections with the prudence of others where his well-being is concerned.
“No, not this soon,” Rose said about lobbying for 30-plus minutes. “It’s still early. I’m in shape, but to actually be doing all that I’m doing and having the same mindset to play while I’m fatigued like that, it takes some time to adjust to that. I’m cool with it. Hopefully, when we get to the playoffs, I’ll be ready. My body will be ready. But we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Rose’s trademark is rare explosiveness, a trait that repeated and catastrophic knee injuries seemed sure to cost him. But he’s been magical at creating space to get off his patented mid-range shots or blasting to the rim. And that ability means Casey is willing to throw out his principles for shot selection when it comes to Rose.
“You have to,” he said. “The plus on that is getting to the free-throw line.”
Casey allows a certain number of mid-range shots – a shot that’s become anathema to analytics devotees – in an offense blueprinted to produce layups and optimal 3-pointers. Rose exhausts the quota on his own.
“He’s got all of ’em,” Casey grinned. “We only have a certain number and all of ’em are going to him.”
Rose’s efficiency on those mid-range shots has been scintillating. He’s shooting .833 at the rim to 3 feet, .600 from 3 to 10 feet, a preposterous .727 from 10 to 16 feet and .462 from 16 feet to the 3-point line. Rose has taken just two 3-pointers, making one, among his 48 shots so far.
“I’m not forcing threes,” he said. “I’m taking what the defense is giving me. The way I play is an aggressive way and the way the league is now, the floor is open. The new league doesn’t shoot mid-range, for some reason, and that’s my game. I shoot the three occasionally, but if I can knock down my mid-range shots … just say this, as long as I’m making ’em, you can’t say nothing.”
With Blake Griffin out – he’s missed the first three games and will miss at least another handful until the Pistons re-evaluate his knee and hamstring soreness next week – and Jackson limited, the Pistons are leaning on Rose more than they ever expected.
So far, maybe only Derrick Rose is less than satisfied with the results.