Cheap Seats: NBA’s Biggest Disappointment

There have been a few disappointments this season. From the struggling New York Knicks, to the slow-starting Brooklyn Nets, to the never-ending injuries, there have been plenty of letdowns for NBA fans. But the most disappointing story centers around Derrick Rose’s latest knee injury, which ended his 2013-14 season, and forced the Chicago Bulls to seek a new path to contention.

On April 28, 2012, Rose tore his ACL in his left knee in a playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s a day that Bulls fans look back on with despair. Adding to the pain of losing their franchise player to major injury was the fact that Rose probably should have been resting on the bench since the Bulls had a 12-point lead with roughly a minute and a half left in the game at the time of his injury.

On May 12, 2012, Rose underwent surgery to repair the torn ACL. With ACL tears, a typical recovery time for NBA athletes is commonly between nine months to a year.

By January 2013, reports out of Chicago were that Rose was participating in full contact basketball activities. The Bulls made it clear that Rose’s return date would not be determined until team doctors had cleared him and Rose was mentally ready. The Bulls wanted Rose to come back once he was 100 percent healthy, and not a second sooner. However, on February 13, for the first time, Rose hinted that he may miss the entire season to ensure that he could make a full recovery. Daily speculation ensued as to when Rose would return. Some fans grew angry, believing that Rose was stalling his return and lacked commitment to the team.

By early March it was being reported that doctors had cleared Rose to play, indicating that the young point guard had made a full recovery. Despite Rose participating in practices without restrictions, the former MVP insisted he was not mentally prepared to return. Derrick’s brother, Reggie Rose, made the situation worse when he publicly stated that the Bulls’ decision to not make any significant deals at the trade deadline would play a role in whether Derrick would return for the remainder of the 2012-13 season. Criticism from fans and the media persisted throughout the remainder of the season.

Without Rose, the Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals where they lost to the Miami HEAT. Rose never made his anticipated return and missed the entire season. Even if Rose had been able to play, the Bulls still would have been short-handed as they were missing Luol Deng, and the HEAT would have likely still won the series. Still, for Bulls fans, constant reports of a potential return was the dominant storyline of the season.

Fast forward to October 5, 2013, when Derrick Rose made his return to action against the Indiana Pacers in a preseason game. After waiting 525 days since Rose tore his ACL, Bulls fans would get to watch their franchise player on the court once again. Rose was rusty, putting up 13 points in 20 minutes of playing time. It did not matter though; Rose was healthy and all NBA fans had reason to smile.

On October 16, after scoring 22 points in his first game back in Chicago, Rose said he thought he was even more “explosive” than before his injury, and that he had increased his vertical jump by five inches. Browse YouTube clips of Rose’s best dunks before his injury, and you can see why the thought of him adding five inches to his vertical was a scary thought for the rest of the NBA. Greg Oden, Joel Anthony and Goran Dragic, all past victims of vicious Rose dunks, would certainly agree.

The hype surrounding Rose’s return reached its apex on October 31, when he hit a game-winning floater to beat the Knicks, 82-81, in just the second game of the regular season. Rose was not efficient in that game, going 7-23 from the floor and turning the ball over four times. But it didn’t matter. Rose did what superstars are supposed to do in the NBA, which is to take, and make, the biggest shots in the biggest moments.

»In Related:Six Things to Know About the Chicago Bulls

Unfortunately it would not be long before disaster would strike again. After playing in only 11 games, Rose tore his meniscus in his right knee while playing against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 22. After undergoing surgery, the Bulls announced that Rose would miss the rest of the season.

In a season in which point guards have been plagued by injuries (Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Jeremy Lin, Patrick Beverley, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar, Kemba Walker, Eric Bledsoe, etc.), Rose’s latest injury cuts the deepest. Rose’s injury, compounded by the time he has missed, has changed the course of the franchise. Every point guard listed will return from injury, or already has, and their franchise will continue down the same path it was already on. The Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder will continue to compete for a championship, and teams like the Phoenix Suns will continue to build around young talent with an eye toward the future. But the Bulls are not the Suns, and this was not supposed to be a rebuilding year for them. Coming into this season, the Bulls were thought to be one of three teams in the East that would compete for the championship, along with the HEAT and Pacers. Instead, the Bulls are now grouped with every other team in the East looking up at the top two teams.

This is especially problematic because in today’s NBA, under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, it is widely believed that if you are not a championship contender, then you should bottom out in hopes of landing a young star in the NBA lottery. Good luck convincing head coach Tom Thibodeau or any of the veterans on the team, such as Joakim Noah, that they should be tanking.

This is, in part, where rumors of a disconnect between Thibodeau and Chicago executives stem from. Under Thibodeau’s defensive principles, the Bulls have the second best defensive rating in the league. But the recent trade of Luol Deng suggests that Chicago’s front office has conceded this season in favor of future flexibility. By trading Deng for Andrew Bynum and then waiving him, the Bulls saved roughly $20 million. But no one can argue that trading Deng for purely financial savings makes the Bulls a better team now. Beyond trading Deng, rumors persist that the Bulls will amnesty veteran Carlos Boozer, who is set to make $16.8 million next season.

»In Related: Chicago Bulls Salary Information

If Chicago does amnesty Boozer, it will leave the Bulls with a roster featuring Rose, Noah, Taj Gibson, Mike Dunleavy Jr., promising rookie Tony Snell and Jimmy Butler, a solid foundation to build around. Interestingly, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that, “Chicago is much more in play for [Carmelo Anthony] than L.A.” Whether through a trade this season or by signing Anthony over the summer, a pairing of Anthony and a healthy Rose would most likely put Chicago back into contention. This is especially true when you consider that Anthony will add much needed offense, while having to commit himself to a proven team defense under the demanding, yet effective Thibodeau.

Though the Bulls are currently the fifth seed in the East with a 22-21 record, it is very unlikely that they can get past the Pacers and the HEAT. Even if Chicago somehow made it to the Finals without Rose and Deng, they would likely have to defeat the Thunder or Spurs in a seven-game series, which is no easy task. It is unfortunate, but without Rose, this is a lost season in terms of competing for a championship.

While the Bulls have a few paths to quickly reload the team, it is undeniable that Chicago fans, and basketball fans in general, have missed Rose’s aggressive style of play that earned him NBA MVP honors at the age of 22. Moreover, it is disappointing to miss out on two seasons of Rose in his athletic prime, and two seasons in which Chicago could have competed for championships.

»In Related: Could a Carmelo Anthony Trade Benefit Bulls and Knicks?

Don’t count out Rose yet though. Players who have suffered ACL injuries have recently returned with greater success rates than ever before, and while a meniscus tear is unfortunate, it is not a career ending injury. Had Rose undergone another operation, such as a microfracture, there would be significant doubts as to Rose’s long-term prognosis. Fortunately, this is not the case for Rose. But Bulls’ fans will have to keep waiting for Rose’s return. The Bulls, and the NBA, will be much better when he does.

– Jesse Blancarte

Let’s take a look back to Monday, April 22, 2013 – the day New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith received the 2012-13 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

His head coach, Mike Woodson sounded like a proud father, quick to offer praise and admiration for Smith and the year he had put together.

“Couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” Woodson said. “I’m so proud of him, in terms of buying in to what we wanted him to do earlier in the season. And it started this summer. I wasn’t going to start him, coming into this year, and I knew that. And he bought in. He didn’t like it, but he bought in. And it couldn’t have happened to a better person, because he put in the time and he worked his butt off to get to this point, and he got rewarded for it. I’m happy for him.”

Carmelo Anthony touched on the noticeable change in Smiths’ maturity, as Smith had seemingly turned the corner in that department.

“I think there comes a point in time in your life where you’re almost forced to grow up, you’re almost forced to mature. You gotta be willing to want to do those things. I think right now, this season, J.R. has done that,” Anthony said. “I think J.R. was forced to grow up, he was forced to be mature and he was willing to take on that challenge, too.”

»In Related: New York Knicks Salary Cap Information

Smith thanked his teammates and coaching staff for their patience.

“I’ve been known to make so many mistakes I haven’t been making recently,” said Smith, thanking his veteran teammates and Woodson for helping him. “Just keeping my head, mentally on the court and off the court.”

Smith was able to parlay his strong season into a three-year contract with the Knicks worth just under $18 million.  The Knicks re-signed Smith, showing confidence that he could be the bench scorer they needed for years to come.

Unexpectedly, just after the contract was signed, Smith would require knee surgery.  The Knicks claimed to be aware of this prior to Smith signing the extension, but just based on the timeline it is easy to speculate that Smith wanted to ink a new deal before going under the knife and risking his health.  Injuries happen, that is part of being a professional athlete, and Smith needed to do what was best for his long-term health.  The injury required that Smith spend the offseason rehabilitating, unable to spend time out on the court working on his game. He didn’t play any basketball until October.

In September of 2013, about a month and a half prior to start of the season, Smith was notified that he must serve a five-game suspension for violation of the NBA’s anti-drug program.  Smith spoke publicly for the first time since the incident on media day; he was very apologetic and was quoted in the New York Post expressing his remorse.

“The worst thing is I feel I let my teammates and coach down,’’ Smith said. “I let Mr. Dolan down. I’m looking to move forward from it. As soon as I’m able to play, I’m hoping to have a good season.’’

Smith has never been known as the most righteous of characters – he has been arrested and has served suspensions in the past – so this incident didn’t come as a total surprise.  The risk with Smith has always been whether his production would outweigh his antics.  Smith went into the season behind the eight ball in that regard, but if he was able to produce at or near the level of last season it seemed all would be forgiven.

Smith may have had a tumultuous offseason but the on-court expectations remained the same.  Smith was signed to provide a scoring punch and to give the Knicks another consistent scoring threat to complement Anthony.  Smith played in his first game back from the suspension against the San Antonio Spurs and got off to a very poor start, shooting 1-9 from the field and scoring only five points as the Knicks were trounced by the Spurs.  Unfortunately, that poor performance would be a sign of things to come.  Granted this was his first game back from knee surgery so it was expected that Smith may be a little rusty and might start the season off slow. And he sure did. Smith put together an undeniably bad first month of the season.  He shot just under 33 percent from the field while scoring 11.7 points per game.  For a guy expected to provide a lift off the bench, he was doing the exact opposite.  Shooting so poorly, he alone made it very difficult for any offensive group he was part to play efficient basketball.  He was singlehandedly anchoring down the Knicks offense.  The Knicks struggled mightily in November, not exclusively due to Smith’s poor performance, but it certainly played a factor in the team’s 2-11 record for the month.

The next month wasn’t much of an improvement for Smith or the Knicks.  At the end of December, the Knicks had only managed nine wins in 30 games and finished the month off with back-to-back losses against division foe Toronto.  Smith was able to marginally increase his production from his pitiful November, his field goal percentage up to 34.5 and his points per game up to just over 12.  He was trending in the right direction as the season progressed, but these were still very disappointing numbers for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year.

What happened in the next couple of weeks can be described as something straight out of the The Onion. On January 8, 2014, Smith was fined $50,000 for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct.” Or, to be more specific, Smith was fined for multiple instances in which he attempted to untie his opponents’ shoelaces during the course of play.  His childish behavior was the last thing the Knicks needed being in the middle of a fight to salvage their season.  Coach Woodson spoke to ESPN New York 98.7 FM on Smith’s actions.

“I’ve always said I don’t condone things that I know you shouldn’t do,” Woodson said. “No, I’m not happy about this. He was warned, he comes back and he makes the same mistake, it’s not right. … It’s unacceptable. It really is. It’s unprofessional. That’s the only word I can use. … You can’t do that. You just cannot do it. … At the end of the day, he’s got to grow up. These things have got to stop.”

Smith had severely regressed from the maturity level that he just last April was being commended for.  Smith did offer an apology via his Twitter account, “Huge apologies to my team, to the league [and] most of all you the fans.”

You have to ask yourself at what point do Smith’s apologies start to ring hollow? How many times can a guy make selfish mistakes that negatively impact his team and their goals and still be believed as remorseful?

»In Related: Should the Knicks Trade Carmelo Anthony?

Not surprisingly, his relationship with Woodson has begun to sour.  On January 15,2014, it was reported that Smith arrived late for a team meeting the day before so that night when the Knicks played the Charlotte Bobcats, Smith did not see one minute of action.  This was the second time over a four-game stretch that Smith had recorded a DNP-Coach Decision in the box score.  Woodson spoke again to ESPN 98.7 FM about his growing frustration with Smith.

“I think it is a privilege to wear a uniform in this league,” Woodson said. “There’s only 30 teams. There’s [only] so many players on each team. I think every player has a responsibility and has to be held accountable for what they do on a ballclub.”

Smith has since worked his way back into the line-up and has been playing consistent minutes as of late.

It’s hard to believe how poorly this season has played out for Smith.  A player who has been able to score in the NBA since the first day he stepped foot onto the court, his talent is undeniable but it is becoming increasingly more evident that he is a me-first player who refuses to consider the affects his actions may have on his team.  In all fairness, it would be much easier to look the other way if he wasn’t putting up near career-worse numbers in almost every statistical category.  For the season, Smith is averaging 12.2 points, three assists and 4.2 rebounds, with a PER of 11.2.  The number that sticks out most is that Smith is shooting only 37.8 percent from field, a career-low and absolutely unacceptable for a player who was brought in to score.  Smith is not a defensive stopper, he is not a great passer and he is an average rebounder.   Add to that, this season he is an extremely inefficient scorer that has repeatedly made mistakes and supplied distractions for his struggling team.

To call Smiths’ season anything other than a massive disappointment would be a lie.  When you read the quotes from last April, it seemed that everything had finally clicked and that he understood what it meant to be a professional.  For whatever reason, Smith has taken a huge step backwards, his production is miserable and his behavior just as bad.  It has come to the point where you wonder if it is even worth it for the Knicks to keep Smith on their roster (there have been rumblings that the Knicks may look to move Smith).  The surprising surgery, the early season suspension, the shoe-lace untying incidents and most of all his all poor production have all been ingredients that have led to arguably his worst season as a pro.

– John Zitzler

The Cleveland Cavaliers shocked many draft experts last summer when they drafted Anthony Bennett with the number one overall pick. It was a move that they hoped would help them make a run toward the playoffs, but instead has many critics describing the pick as a bust.

While half of a season is far too early to label a draft pick as a bust, Bennett’s season isn’t exactly giving the Cavs a reason to be excited for his future. He’s currently averaging just 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Bennett’s work ethic has been described as questionable, so it may be no surprise that it took him 33 games to score in double digits.

Work ethic aside, the Cavs haven’t exactly done themselves any favors with Bennett. In his breakout performance on Tuesday, Bennett played 33 minutes, well above his season average of 10 minutes per game. The team should explore more options on how to get Bennett in the game more, and should seriously consider sending him down to the Development League to allow him to regain some of his confidence.

»In Related: Cleveland Cavaliers Salary Information

The Cavs brought in Andrew Bynum in an attempt to help them advance to the postseason and to help resurrect Bynum’s career. The team got the short end of that deal after they traded Bynum to the Bulls after getting just 26 games out of him. Prior to the trade, Bynum was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team after becoming a negative influence on the Cavs. Bynum stated publicly early in the season that he lost his joy for the game, which he continued to battle for the duration of his stay in Cleveland.

In return for Bynum, the Cavaliers received Luol Deng in hopes of trying to win now. Since adding Deng 10 games ago, the Cavs are 4-6 and stand at 16-29, good for 11^th in the East. Even though Deng is averaging 15.6 points per game with the Cavs, there is still room to improve on how head coach Mike Brown utilizes him. Brown is neglecting to set up plays that allow Deng to move around and cut toward the basket, arguably the best thing he does.

»In Related: Kyrie Irving’s Uncertain Future

Although the Cavaliers have a much healthier and improved team this season, their record doesn’t reflect it. Anderson Varejao missed the majority of last season with a blood clot and Kyrie Irving missed 25 games due to injury; they have missed four games combined this season. The Cavs also signed Jarrett Jack from Golden State, but are still averaging 96 points per game, the same amount they averaged en route to 24 wins last season.

The Cavs are just three games back of the final playoff spot in the East, but given their additions to the team through the draft, trades and free agency, they should definitely be competing for a much higher seed than just the eighth seed.

– Cody Taylor