The Sad State of Derrick Rose's Future

And then Derrick Rose got hurt. In a week where a number of notable NBA All-Stars went down it was Rose’s injury that hurt the NBA community most. Players came out of the woodwork on Twitter to support the league's youngest MVP, and now the reality faces us all once again; Derrick Rose will not be playing basketball anymore this season.

This happening is borderline incomprehensible. It raised many eyebrows when Rose decided to not even consider coming back and play at all last year, choosing to instead look to the future and make sure he was feeling absolutely 100% mentality and physically. Now the wait makes it look like a terrible joke.

If you remember when Rose injured his ACL, it was during the lockout season, and Rose battled a sprain all season to his left ankle. It is my opinion that when he hurt the knee it was because he had been compensating for the lack of support in his ankle with his knee. Eventually that stress failed him leading to his injury against Philadelphi. He plays too hard to put that kind of stress on a body part. Even though it was devastating that it happened, it was understandable.

But now with it being the other knee popping seemingly out of nowhere, where does that leave us fans when evaluating Rose as a player? Following his MVP season, when everyone and their mother fell in love with the athleticism and the will to win that Rose played with in Chicago, it was a consensus opinion that Rose was the crème of the crop in terms of NBA point guards. He could score on anyone, an excellent passer, and his physical gifts at the position were unmatched (Except for Russ Westbrook, right?).

When debating top point guards in 2011, Derrick Rose held the throne with Chris Paul and Tony Parker finishing with silver and bronze medals. Those were your top options. Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams were in the second-tier with Russ Westbrook on the rise at that point.  But no one could touch Rose as he became the NBA's golden boy. With being the youngest MVP ever and the growing hate of LeBron James due to him leaving Cleveland, it was a perfect storm for Rose. We looked past his “ok” shooting and the fact he only played in 39 games in the lockout shortened season, he had the top spot, no questions asked.

He sat out all of last year, and now he is going to miss 72+ games this year. So who are we looking at? Is Derrick Rose about to become Grant Hill? If you are not familiar, Grant Hill burst on to the NBA scene. He won Rookie of the Year in 1994 and his first six years produced some silly NBA numbers:

Year	PPG	RPG	APG	PER:
1994-‘95	19.9	6.4	5.0	19
1995-‘96	20.2	9.8	6.9	20.9
1996-‘97	21.1	9.0	7.3	25.5
1997-‘98	21.1	7.7	6.8	21.2
1998-‘99	21.1	7.1	6.0	23.9
1999-‘00	25.8	6.6	5.2	24.9

I mean, pardon my French, but those are fucking spectacular numbers. It is no question why people were calling him the next Michael Jordan, and most ofpeople my age don’t remember Grant Hill for what he was on his way to becoming, but rather what he was after the year 2000, which is a somber time for the Duke product.

Grant Hill was a step below Michael Jordan in 1998, but clearly better than all the other two-guards in the league. A step above Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, the next crop of NBA stars. But then he played through pain in the playoffs for Detroit and everything unraveled for Hill. He signed with Orlando (This is the part most people remember), played in only 47 games in 4 years, sat out an entire season (2003-04) and nearly died during his surgery. All that thanks to a very problematic left ankle. Things had obviously went drastically south for Hill.

While he bounced back to some extent with Phoenix, he never fully regained his pre-ankle-injury ways. When he retired this past season, it should have been a much bigger ordeal, but injuries derailed what could have been. He never regained his seat atop the two-guard list. And I think we all know where this is going.

Since Rose won his MVP at the age of 22[1] in 2010-’11, a year that he held averages of 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds per game and almost took Chicago to the NBA Finals, he has played in 49 out of the possible 230 games not including playoffs. An absolutely gut-wrenching number. And the thing is, we do not know what is going through Derrick Rose’s mind.

I remember reading once that Rose used to cry after losses in AAU basketball. Now some can look at that and think, “Wow, that is a guy that really cares about winning”. Others will look at that and think “What a softie, this guy needs to get on with it and CBT[2]”. After his first knee injury, it became apparent the fear of facing another knee injury had crept into Derrick’s mind. Nervous was not a strong enough word to describe Rose’s state of mind. So he waited and we waited, until he became “ready”. He returned and has been trying real hard to be Derrick Rose again, and it has been tough. Before the injury, he struggled shooting, and it is not as “easy” as it was before. While his three-point-shooting stood pat (34%),  the effectiveness around the rim is not the same. Only generating 3.2 free throws per game and he had not finished a game shooting over 50%. And now he will not. He seemed so urgent in his play, almost as if he forgot that he would  have rust. He had not played an NBA game in over a year.

So now when we are listing top point guards, the list goes CP3 and Parker, Kyrie Irving and Russ. Then probably Rondo when he comes back? And if you are a stat head, Kemba Walker gets thrown into the mix and then because I do not know if I want to trust Rose’s knees anymore I might even take Damian Lillard or John Wall.  Do you see what's happening? Just like Hill, it is hard to trust a guy that goes around missing 200 games in four years. People have come back and played with bad meniscus before. Dwyane Wade and Paul have done it for years. Westbrook will be doing it, and all those players carry a certain confidence with their games. A confidence in their physical abilities. You cannot hold them back. I guarantee you right now if Russ hurt his meniscus in November of last year, we would have seen him by the end of March. This is not the case with Rose. He is not very sure his knees can handle it. These other players can sense it, and I figure that is why there is such gratuitous support. That is why the league is so down.

We all fell in love with Derrick Rose because he was so authentic in the way he cared about basketball. The game does mean everything to him and it is not fair that it is being ripped away from him for the second time in three years. As fans, we are second on the list in terms of devastated souls. He feels cheated. He was cheated, and that is why we feel so down for him too.

Back in 2008 my uncle started taking me to a few Milwaukee Bucks games year. Usually we would see marquee superstars. In 2008, we saw Chris Paul. I remember my uncle telling me that LeBron was probably going to win the next 8 MVP’s but if anyone was going to “steal” an MVP from ‘Bron is was CP3. That night he went out and threw out a very casual 30/9/6 in a Hornets victory. We were wrong though because Rose would steal that MVP. And now, we cannot even trust if he will ever be the same.

We were all robbed of a slice of greatness pie when Hill’s left ankle broke in 2000. He never came back the same. From 2009-2011 we watched a superstar, bud, bloom, and blossom[3] in three short years. Derrick Rose was next. Derrick Rose was the truth. End of conversation. Now, we will not know what Derrick Rose really is. And we all will be holding our breath every time he jumps from now on.

But as fans we always have short memories, and let's hope that D-Rose can find himself again.

~Andrew

  

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[1] FYI: his 22^nd year wasn’t anything like my 22^nd year on Earth.

[2] CBT = Come Back Tough(er).

[3] Flower puns intended.

Packers Fans: Take a Deep Breath.

It is safe to say the 2013 Green Bay Packers regular season is not turning out how many fans hoped/expected it would. My main message for Packers fans is that as a fan base, we have been very fortunate with numerous winning seasons. Many seasons end with “disappointing” playoff losses, which sting, but in my opinion, as a football fan, all you can truly expect is a playoff berth most seasons, with an opportunity to make a run to a Super Bowl every once in a while. Injuries and parity make it impossible to expect a dynasty now.

Each team with a true franchise QB (Manning, Brady, Rodgers, Brees, etc.) will experience a down season due to injuries, performance or other reasons. As a whole, Packers have experienced great success, as Aaron Rodgers is 57-29 career as a starting quarterback and the only losing season was 2008, Rodgers’ first year as a starter. Patience is needed when a franchise goes through a tough season like this, especially when the future is still quite bright for the team. 2013 is not over yet, and Packers could still be that team that gets hot late, but their future is still incredibly bright. To help people calm down about this season, we will look at what the future holds for this team.

Quarterback

There is still the biggest advantage Green Bay has over other teams. Rodgers will come back and be one of the best players in the NFL on a yearly basis. Despite the Packers ability to replace one legend with another (Favre to Rodgers) the quarterback position is one of the most difficult positions to replace. Many fans were upset about the lack of a recognizable backup quarterback, but there are an extremely limited number of people on the planet that can play the position at a professional level. Fans were upset about the options, but there are organizations that went into the season starting players like Blaine Gabbert, Brandon Weeden, and Christian Ponder, when all of their players were healthy. Seneca Wallace will likely not be back, but if the Packers can convince Scott Tolzien or Matt Flynn to continue to grow in Green Bay, they should be set with a backup for the next few years, but it will require a new contract.

Running Back

A position that used to be a huge weakness on the team is now considered a position of strength. With a stable of Eddie Lacy, James Starks (Could potentially find a new team), Johnathan Franklin, and a returning DuJuan Harris, many would expect the Packers to stand pat. But I would like to see one more guy brought in to provide another challenge in training camp.  Keeping players on their toes in camp seems to make for better performances in the regular season, and this position has a lot of injuries across the league therefore one more body would not be terrible.

Wide Receiver

Next year will be an interesting transition year at this long-time position of strength for the team.  One of the biggest bright spots this season has been Jarrett Boykin and he has earned himself a bigger role for the beginning of next season. James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb all have contract issues coming up in the next few years, and the team will have some very tough decisions to make. Judging by the Packers’ history, it is likely one of them will not be back. Nelson seems to be the most irreplaceable, but will demand a high salary, and has been injury prone in the past. Cobb is a dynamic player, but has had injury concerns of his own, and his style of play puts him at a big risk with a slight frame.  James Jones has long been under-appreciated, but still seems the most replaceable of the group.  Many fans would like to see all of the players return, much like many other veteran players in the past.

My desire to see each come back will depend on the salary they would require in the coming years, but my gut says Nelson and Cobb are almost sure bets to stay with the team long term, and Jones’ status will depend on his contract request. The team should consider using a second to fourth round pick on the position this upcoming draft to get one more young, developing player on the field.

Tight End

This position was going to be in flux before Jermichael Finley suffered one of the scariest injuries I have ever seen live. Many reports seem to suggest Finley will not be back in a Packers’ uniform and logic points that way as well. It will be a long road back for Finley, one I hope is successful if he wants it to be, but the Packers’ reaction to one of my personal favorites, Nick Collins, suggest they will put well-being over football needs. I would like the team to move forward with Brandon Bostick for his potential, Ryan Taylor as a special teams ace, and one or two new guys for blocking/receiving. What was once an expensive position for the team will represent some cap relief.  (Ed. Note – Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro or North Carolina’s Eric Ebron would be excellent first round draft picks if Green Bay went with tight end - CT)

Offensive Line

This is the easiest position to analyze. Move Bryan Bulaga back to right tackle, and the starting lineup looks like this. David Bakthiari-LT, Josh Sitton-LG, Evan Dietrich-Smith-C (Will need a new contract), T.J. Lang-RG, Bulaga-RT. Derek Sherrod can serve as the backup swing tackle, with Don Barclay focusing on the guard positions, and JC Tretter can be the backup at guard and center. The team can bring in the usual training camp signees to battle for positions, and potentially find some gems to challenge the backup

Defensive Line

A position that was constantly a thorn in the Packers’ side finally settled this year, but will have a lot of turnover next year.  Let’s start with the guys who have contracts, and will be back next year: Mike Daniels, Datone Jones and Josh Boyd.  B.J Raji, C.J. Wilson, Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly will all need new contracts next year, and it is likely many will move on. 

Wilson seems the most likely to head elsewhere, as his snap count has gone way down since previous seasons. Pickett has had a stellar second half of a career in Green Bay, but is getting fairly old and may not like the contract offer he will receive from Green Bay. Johnny Jolly is one of the best feel-good stories in the NFL this year, and one of my personal favorites, but he might not return to Green Bay next year. Jolly lost numerous years of income while out of the league, and few would blame him for accepting the largest contract he could get. I hope that Jolly is wearing #97 in the Green and Gold next year, but he might want to move on.

The stickiest of all the contract issues is going to be Raji, and it feels like we are getting close to Greg Jennings territory. Raji is going to want a huge deal, and deserves one because he is a stellar defensive lineman, but the front office might decide that he will take up too much of the salary cap on the team. Regardless of which players return, I think the team will spend some draft picks, and low level free agent money on this position.

Linebacker

Clay Matthews will be manning one of the outside spots next year, and it is safe to assume Nick Perry will be part of a rotation on the other side. Brad Jones is likely to man one of the inside spots due to a recent contract extension, and it is safe to assume AJ Hawk earned the right to finish his career in Green Bay. Jamari Lattimore does not have a 2014 team option with Green Bay, nor does Mike Neal. I expect Lattimore to return, and the Packers will need to find one more inside linebacker.  Neal has shown flashes of brilliance, but injuries have long been an issue. If Neal does not return, expect someone to be brought in to compete with Perry.

Cornerback

If the team is confident that Sam Shields’ performance this year is a prediction of the future, and not a product of contract year motivation, he should be the number one priority in the offseason. He should be the team’s number one corner moving forward.  I would like to see Davon House get some time to develop and man the other outside spot, with Micah Hyde and Casey Hayward combining to work the slot. Tramon Williams is expendable due to his high contract, and slipping play, if he is willing to take a pay cut, I would be interested to see if he has the center field skills to slide to safety. I expect to see a fourth or fifth-round pick used on a corner to continue the development at the position.

Safety

Morgan Burnett is a keeper, and anyone else is at risk for the next year. If anyone shows some improvement, they will be brought for training camp, but this position could use some work. I have mentioned above that Williams could be an interesting safety prospect to fill a void for a few years. Of all the positions on the team, I would most like to see the team use a first-round pick on a safety that can truly make a difference. The weakness of this position comes not only in the mistakes that are made on the back end of passing plays, but the lack of a physical presence over the middle.

Special Teams

Mason Crosby, Tim Masthay, and Brett Goode should all be brought back for their jobs next year. As returners, Hyde and Franklin will be there next season, I doubt Cobb takes back kicks or punts anymore. It will be as it usually is with returners around the league, a crapshoot.  

While Green Bay has not won a game in a month, the future is still quite bright for this team. The last month and possibly another one might decide the future of a couple of these players, but this will be a team that keeps recycling through talent.  It should be an interesting rest of the year.

Adam

Marquette's Loss Brings Confidence

Going into Marquette's affair with Arizona State, I had little to none expectations about the game. It is like watching a movie like Hot Tub Time Machine. The bar is set really low meaning any little thing might make you smile or become happy becomes a bright spot and maybe at the end of the game or movie, it turns out things went much better than expected. Marquette lost to Arizona State 79-77, but there were many encouraging things about this team even in defeat along with a few things still needing to be addressed in the short-term.

It appeared to be the same old story for Marquette in this young season during the first half. Marquette gave up many open looks, and they struggled to score again. Arizona State went up by as much as 15 points making it seem like the Golden Eagles could get boatraced in the desert. They found their way back into the game cutting the lead to only 10 points thanks in large part to Jahii Carson on the bench with two fouls.  Marquette looked like an entirely different team in the second half led by Jake Thomas, Derrick Wilson and Davante Gardner.  Two unlikely contributors with one standard. 

Thomas drew the ire of almost all Marquette fans including yours truly. The only people defending Thomas might have been his own family at this point. FOX Sports 1 color commentator Bill Raftery made a mention early in the second half, 'Thomas has the stroke, he just needs the confidence.' Thomas must have found Jobu on the bench because he started becoming the rainmaker everyone wanted him to be going into the season. Thomas made five 3-pointers, and he finished with his Marquette high of 18 points. I do not care Thomas shot 12 threes in the process. If he starts becoming a lethal 3-point shooter, this is a dangerous Marquette team. 

Speaking of dangerous, Derrick Wilson figured out a move on offense that he can use to his advantage... the floater. Wilson might have always had this in his arsenal, but he finally used it to his advantage as well as taking in to the lane for the first time in his entire career. That is not a hyperbolic statement either with Wilson. This was Wilson's first game in his Marquette career where he had double-digits in points having 14 tonight. Additionally, he had seven assists and zero turnovers. This might be the pinnacle of Wilson's offense, but if he can contributed six to eight points a game with the same amount of assists plus limiting the turnovers, Marquette will be golden.   

After a fast start against Southern, Gardner scuffled his feet in the next three games like the rest of the team. Gardner had 18 points with 12 rebounds notching his first double-double of the season. The rebounds are more important stat to me. In the first four games,  Gardner had 18 rebounds averaging just over four a game. Gardner's rebounding numbers are forever inconsistent and one day, the hope is numbers will start trending towards what he did on Monday night. He also made a three and stupidly took a three so there's that. 

This blog post might make you think Marquette won so there still is some deserved criticism.  Jamil Wilson deserves some of it. While he did have a season-high in points, the shot selection for Wilson was not the greatest. He is currently shooting 31 percent for the season, and some that comes from his lack of 3-point shooting. Out of his 32 shots all season, 12 of them have been 3-point attempts meaning 37 percent of his shots have been from deep. For Jamil, that is too much. He needs to find the elbow jumper that he would make nine out of ten times last season. Wilson also needs to be more careful with his defense and his aggressive nature. His fourth foul happened on a loose ball in the middle of the second half, and if Wilson avoids that one, it could have been a different story.  

Last year, Marquette faced many late game situations with Vander Blue finding the ball and having the big moment. Blue is not there anymore meaning they need a go-to guy late in the game. Currently, Marquette does not have that, and they did not have one until February last season. I do not mind Wilson taking the floater late. It is better than him launching a three or freaking out with the ball late in the game.  Yes, he got blocked but that somehow is still promising he tried it out instead of shitting the bed. 

While this post might make me look like a soccer mom or dad whatever way you perceive me, it is nice to see this Marquette come together a little bit. Hopefully, this will carryover to their Thanksgiving Day game against Cal-State Fullerton.   

Charlie.

Tap's Trailers: Divergent

You know what I feel bad for Divergent.  Because there will be simpletons that compare this movie to The Hunger Games without question. Both come from a book. Both have a strong young female lead, this one, the talented Shailene Woodley who will be getting bigger roles in the near future. Both have an action plot featuring a separation of society. I am willing to bet there are many differences and the movie should stand alone. It looks to make a good chunk of change in the box office as it does have a book following.  I think it looks good enough to see in theaters.

Charlie.

First Taste: Sweatpants - Childish Gambino

Whew. I thought Childish Gambino was headed to a depressing hip-hop album where he attempted to steal the emo rapper throne from Kid Cudi yet I am wrong for at least this song. This is the latest to leak out from Because The Internet which drops in two weeks. This is definitely for the old-school Gambino fans where he raps about ridiculous things along with a ridiculous beat to go along with it. As I am starting to see this album together, I think it could be something special if Gambino decides to mix in both the emo stuff with heavy-hitters. Time to have a big day, Tappers.

Charlie.

Closing Time: Bound 3 (Vague) - James Franco & Seth Rogen

This went viral today. Seth Rogen and James Franco, best friends and a modern day Cheech and Chong if you will, decided to film a video of them remaking Kanye West's Bound 2 video. They remade it frame for frame with Franco playing Kanye West while Rogen played Kim Kardashian. Now given Rogen's stature you would assume he would play Kanye's role, but instead he went the Kim direction. As everyone else, I think it is absolutely hilarious. The best part is we will get to see if Kanye does a diss song mentioning this video because you know that's happening.

Charlie.

Bucks Buzz: Monday November 25th

The Bucks Buzz is a bi-weekly SnoTap post featuring Charlie Tritschler and Mitch Pratt. Charlie writes the Monday post while Mitch handles Thursday. This could change, but they both bring a unique style to the post. 

Hot Recap Take
Friday: Philadelphia 115 Milwaukee 107 (OT) -  This one is a tough one to swallow for Bucks fans. First of all, the game was not on television meaning you had to listen to it on the radio or find it illegally yet the Bucks maintained a lead late in the game. Caron Butler dominated this one with 38 points, a season-high and his first 30 point game since November 2012 when he had 33 against New Orleans. Butler found his stroke from outside going 4/8 from 3-point range. Butler still played a hand in Milwaukee losing a 10 point lead with 130 seconds left in the game. Caron misses a 3-point shot right after James Anderson had hit a three of his own. Butler also had a traveling violation late. Luke Rindour did not help things missing a key late free-throw and a long mid-ranger jumper.

This led to Spencer Hawes leading the comeback with an outrageous shot. Hawes tied up the game and sent to overtime. Milwaukee could not score in the overtime period leading to a Sixers win. This is one that will piss you off because Hawes should not beat you. Evan Turner or Michael Carter-Williams, yeah I think people can make peace with it but HAWES?! That's a tough pill to swallow.


Appropriate YouTube video - Burn - Meek Mill: He is from Philly and this one burned like your genitals do after getting an STD.




Saturday: Charlotte 96 Milwaukee 72 - Oh dear God where to start with this one. I mean Charlotte is a much improved team than last year, but there is no reason to get beat by 24 points at home to them. Yes, this was their third game in four days, but there should be no excuses for such a lame effort. If they lose another close one, sure I can be okay with that, but holy shit, Milwaukee. They put together a pathetic 12 point third quarter as the Bobcats put up 28 starting the blowout train. To give you an idea of how much an ass kicking this one was all of Charlotte's starters had PERs in the 20's. Further, Milwaukee had four of five starters with PER with -20's. It was that damn bad. The thing that might make it more disappointing is the fact they had nearly 15,000 in attendance. I feel like that's a good number for Milwaukee on a Saturday night against a team like Charlotte and they just basically came out to half-court and took a massive shit.  Thanks, Bucks!  

Appropriate YouTube video - Grace is Gone - Dave Matthews Band: I tried to think of the most depressing song I have ever heard and this one is definitely in my top ten.



Keep in mind
 Besides Miami and Indiana, the East is wide open - I realize people are starting to talk tank with Milwaukee and I do not blame anyone one bit for that, yet Eastern Conference is a shitshow right now. Brooklyn and New York are horrible. Chicago will be without Derrick Rose, and many people are thinking they might move half their team. Basically, Milwaukee could continue to scuffle their feet and then be right back into the mix come January with an equally strong December. I am all about the tank life, but I feel like we should recognize how poor the Eastern Conference truly is at this juncture.

Links
Speaking of the tanks, the great Tom Ziller of SB Nation, wrote an article today the Bucks inadvertently tanking. It is getting down right weird with the last-second loss to Philadelphia and then the colossal blowout to Charlotte.

Andrew Weiland of BizTimes wrote about the state of Milwaukee in terms of getting a new arena and every thing in the near future. It looks quite bleak and that's not good for the Bucks.

What to Watch
Hello old friend - Brandon Jennings plays Milwaukee for the first time tonight at Auburn Hills. I am sure of two things... 1.) Jennings will have at least 25 points. 2.) Zaza will make a hard foul attempt leading to Jennings getting pissed off at him.

What's Next for Milwaukee
As just noted, Milwaukee's professional basketball team heads to Detroit Rock City tonight. They head home to play Washington on Wednesday night. Wizards have won three of their last four games and play Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night before heading to Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Charlie.