Derrick Rose Thinks ‘There’s A Chance’ He Returns During Cleveland’s Five-Game Road Trip


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Another Cleveland Cavalier is set to return to rotation shortly after Isaiah Thomas returned earlier in the week. The Cavaliers are getting ever so much closer to being at full strength, which should worry the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Derrick Rose, who’s been out nearly two months with another in a long line of lower leg injuries, is set to return at some point within the team’s current five game road trip. Rose told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Friday that “there’s a chance” he returns during the road trip. Rose is averaging nearly 15 points on 47 percent shooting in nearly 30 minutes a game for the Cavaliers this season, but his absence to reevaluate his career made many wonder if he might retire.

When Rose returns, his role might be radically different than the one that he had at the start of the season. Coach Tyronn Lue spoke Friday about using Rose in a manner that preserves Dwayne Wade for the duration of the season and the playoffs.

Speaking to reporters during practice on Friday, Rose said according to ESPN that he would be comfortable with whatever the coaching staff wanted to do.

“It’s whatever they want,” Rose said after the team’s practice in Orlando. “I’m not trying to be a distraction to the team or anything like that. I’m here to be a professional about any situation I get put into and to own up to it and be a man about it. I just want to win. No matter how many minutes I’m playing, I’m not a stat guy. I did all that in the past. Now it’s time for me to win a championship.”

The Cavaliers are currently 25-13 and are only getting healthier right around the dog days of the NBA schedule. In theory, this would allow LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and other players to get take games off to limit the wear and tear before the brutal march to the NBA playoffs.

Rose has already been ruled out for Saturday’s game in Orlando, however the target might be either the Raptors games on the January 11th or the following game in Indiana against the Pacers.
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