3 takeaways from the Detroit Pistons loss over the Cleveland Cavaliers

The management of Rose

It goes without say that the Pistons would be in a much worse spot than they’re currently in had they not signed Derrick Rose this past summer. He’s averaging the most points as a reserve in franchise history and is an All-Star candidate due to his consistent heroics for this team. The way Rose can take over a game and deliver whenever the Pistons need it most goes unmatched throughout this entire roster. There’s not a single fan in the state of Michigan that is not appreciative of the sheer talent and dominance that Rose brings.

However, at some point you have to asses an in-game situation and adjust accordingly. It may come as a surprise to some that no, Rose doesn’t have to be the one to take the final shot in a clutch situation. It’s worked on numerous occasions, most notably his game-winning jump shot in New Orleans, but it’s also buried Detroit and cost them the game, as it did in Charlotte just a few months ago.

Dwane Casey has to realize that it’s okay to open up the playbook and try to create an open look for someone else on the team. It goes deeper than just “give the ball to you best player”, it’s about predictability. It doesn’t take too much effort for a team to send over help when they see Rose isolating, and they frequently do it.

For the second consecutive game Rose has gone over his minute restriction, and while it was entirely justifiable for both games, Casey even admitted after each outing that Rose appeared to run out of gas down the stretch. That alone hinders the effectiveness of his final possessions.