May 8, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose stretches before game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

When big news breaks in the NBA, Right Down Euclid’s Chris Manning and RDE editor Zak Kolesar have you covered. In this edition of “Countertop Conversation,” Chris and Zak sit down to discuss Derrick Rose and his ongoing recovery from ACL surgery.

With his team in the second round of playoffs against the Miami Heat, speculation is running wild concerning the health of Derrick Rose. The former MVP has been out for over a year, and it is not entirely sure when (or if) he is going to come back this season. There is also the worry that Rose may not come back the same player after so much time off.

Chris Manning: With Derrick Rose having been out of action upward of a year, his Chicago Bulls are about to be eliminated from the playoffs. I’ve said from the beginning that it’s good for Rose to sit out and heal. All the speculation about him coming back is a little absurd. Not every athlete is going to recover like Adrian Peterson did. Peterson’s recovery was a once-in-a-generation recovery and it’s wildly unfair to expect every athlete coming off ACL surgery to come back in the same way. When Rose comes back (and if he comes back the same player), he’s a top 10 player in the league – no question about it. And even if Rose came back this year, I don’t think the Bulls could have been expected to take down the Heat in the East.

Zak Kolesar: Some say that Rose may have been turned off from coming back due to the lack of trade movement before the deadline this season. I don’t think that this is the reason at all, and I also don’t think that Rose is being selfish. He’s taking the blunt of the heat even though Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng are nursing injuries and sicknesses (this shouldn’t be a reason to miss games in the playoffs). Like you said, coming back from an ACL injury is no walk in the park. It takes vigorous training and rehab to even get back on the court to practice. Coming back early from an injury like Rose sustained could be detrimental to a career, and the Bulls aren’t willing to risk the chance of having Rose reinjure himself in a series against a team that looks well on their way to win a championship.

CM: Hypothetically, if Rose comes back at full strength next season, I’d love the Bulls in a match up against the Heat. With Noah, Gibson and company on the inside, the Bulls could have a real shot at exploiting what I think is the Heat’s biggest weakness. And with a healthy Rose, you have a player who can destroy Mario Chalmers and penetrate the lane. However, that’s assuming Rose comes back the same aggressive offensive cannonball he has been thus far in his NBA career. If he dials back that aggression at all, he’s not the same player – period. He’s not a Kyrie Irving type guard with a steady jumper in the toolbox, and I’m worried about his mindset for that reason.

ZK: I’m on the same page regarding how his game will be affected because of the injury. Rose was one of my favorite players to watch in the paint before he went down, and I agree that he will have to dial back his thumping jump when going up with the ball in the lane. On the other hand, from watching the videos of Rose rehabbing, I’m confident that he will come back a physically stronger player. That doesn’t mean he will be making the same plays as he was during his MVP season, but we will still see the same explosiveness displayed in a different light. Whether that means Rose will become a better distributor or position his body differently to avoid bad falls or just stay the same, we don’t know yet.

CM: If Rose comes back shooting jumpers, I really believe that he won’t be the same player. For his career, he is a 46.1 percent shooter and shot 43.5 percent in his last full season. To break this down a little bit, Rose’s two most frequent shot areas by a wide margin are right by the rim, with both the left and right side having over 10 shots taken in the 2011-12 regular season. Only two other areas had more than 50 shots, and those were low percentage three pointers. This, more than anything, tells me that in order to be the same player, he needs to be mentally ready to attack the rim. If not, he better have improved his jumper and off the dribble step back. If not, he becomes incredibly predictable and easy to defend.

ZK: If Rose tries to adjust his game like you said and fails his next season back, it could be detrimental to the Bulls as a team. Deng will be a free agent in 2013, Carlos Boozer in 2014 and Joakim Nosh in 2015. With Rose sitting at 24-years old at the moment, Deng will be 29 when his contract ends, Boozer will be 33 and Noah will be 31. Even if they plan on resigning these guys, Chicago could be in some trouble if they can’t contend for a championship if Rose struggles next season. Again, it’s important that he doesn’t reinjure himself, but the more time he sits out the less confidence I have in him that he will come back the same or better than he once was.

CM: Let’s say LeBron leaves for Los Angeles in the summer of 2014. If he does that, the East suddenly becomes wide open and ripe for the picking. Looking ahead, Chicago is the one current contender that could have their core makeup intact, even if they have to blow the bank to do so. The x-factor here is Rose. If he comes back at full strength and is the same player, he’s undoubtedly the key to them being a legitimate title contender. If he’s not, the Bulls will be just another team that couldn’t quite make it to the top of the hill. And for Rose, he’ll be another “what if” player in a sport that has had countless players. It would be even a sadder decline considering that he was once MVP and, at the worst, the second best point guard in the entire NBA.

ZK: Will Rose even be a top 5 point guard once he returns? Stephen Curry has definitely climbed up the ladder, Russell Westbrook made it a point to improve on his duties as a distributor and Kyrie is becoming one of the NBA’s brightest stars. That’s already three floor generals who weren’t ahead of Rose on the point guard totem pole when he was playing but now may be because of the time Rose has missed. This injury may hinder him from staying where he once stood among the league’s best with point guards in the NBA on the rise.

October 25, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Valley View Casino Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

When big news breaks in the NBA, Right Down Euclid’s Chris Manning and RDE editor Zak Kolesar have you covered. In this edition of “Countertop Conversation” Chris and Zak discuss the ongoing Cleveland Cavaliers head-coaching search.

After letting Coach Byron Scott go last week, the search is already on for a new head coach. Former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown appears to be the front-runner after meeting with Dan Gilbert last night, but other candidates are available. Namely, Brian Shaw and Phil Jackson have been brought up as possible candidates.

Chris Manning: For the record, I am totally against letting Byron Scott go after three seasons as coach. Did he have a losing record? Yes. Did he have flaws? Yes – as does every coach. But considering all of the injuries and overall lack of talent on his Cleveland Cavaliers roster, he did a pretty good job. And not to repeat the “catering the superstar” issues of the LeBron James era, but Kyrie Irving supports him. In my mind, he at least deserved another season.

Zak Kolesar: I know that many have compared the model that Cleveland is currently going through by assembling their team with high picks in the draft to what Oklahoma City did with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, but I’m also going to compare another scenario regarding Coach Scott. When he was coach of the Hornets, it took him until his fourth season in New Orleans (his third coaching star point guard Chris Paul) to lead his team to the playoffs. After three seasons of playing under-.500 basketball, the Hornets finally clicked upon their roster being mended in the offseason before the 2007-08 season. We should’ve gave him his one final season under contract, because how can a team achieve on the defensive side of the ball when their main threat misses close to 150 games over a coaches’ tenure? Now it’s almost certain that a defensive-minded leader will be brought in.

CM: I agree, and that’s why I’m not surprised that Mike Brown appears to be the Cavaliers’ top choice. He comes from a defensive background and recently moved back to the area. I always got the sense that owner Dan Gilbert was a fan of Brown as well, and probably only fired him to try and keep James in Cleveland. He’s not my top choice, but he is a coach who could come in and do work for the defensive unit. He also fits the city well in a way a big name coach would not. In my mind, Brown is the odds on favorite to be head coach next season.

ZK: I would have to also agree that right now Brown is at the forefront of this early race for the head coaching position in Cleveland. Although I said the race is early, I expect it to be wrapped up in the immediate future. The Cavs want to have a definite direction for their team early on in the offseason so they can draw out a game plan for the draft and to get ahead of the free agency game. Cleveland is a pretty unattractive destination to begin with, but the amount of money and (four) draft picks they have at their disposal this summer may change some opinions. Brown turned LeBron into the defensive prowess that he is today, but his offensive strategy is what concerned people during his previous tenure in Cleveland. The Princeton failed in Los Angeles, and with the Cavaliers recently reaching out to Phil Jackson (extremely doubtful), the Triangle Offense would not be a good fit for this team as well anyways.

CM: And that leads into my concern about Brown. Cleveland’s premier talent –Irving – is a player built on his offense, and we already know that Brown is much better at coaching the defensive end of the floor rather than the offensive. That makes me hope that, if he gets hired, he brings along an offensive coordinator to help him maximize this team’s offensive potential. But in the sense of improving the defense, he is the perfect hire. If he can get the guys to buy into his system, then it should be a smooth transition. We’ve heard that Brown’s meeting with Gilbert and general manager Chris Grant went well last night and, if hired, I’m sure his first call is going to be to Anderson Varejao – a player he previously coached and knows very well.

ZK: Varejao was a major staple of Cleveland’s efficient rebounding squad when Brown was coach. In his five seasons with the Cavaliers, Brown’s teams finished second (three times), fourth and eighth in the defensive rebound rate category. Without a (healthy) player like Varejao on the roster, Cleveland needs to start looking toward the future in finding their big who can lead the brigade in shutting down opponent’s second-chance opportunities. The front office needs to look ahead, and I think thinking past the Wild Thing years should start now. He’s great when he plays, but Brown is going to need a plethora of athletic board hoarders to get this team to the defensive level it needs to. Granted that Varejao missed a lot of time over Brown’s five years as well, but just take a look at the 2009-10 season compared to this past season: 1,655 total defensive rebounds between LeBron, Andy, J.J. Hickson, Shaquille O’Neal and Z compared to 1,396 defensive boards between Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller, Alonzo Gee, Andy and Kyrie. With Andy’s contract up next season, they really need to consider bringing in a cohort of physical bigs (Thompson and Zeller are fine for now).

CM: And I mentioned this on the podcast we recorded yesterday, but Hickson would be a good fit for this team if Marreese Speights does leave in free agency. However, my biggest concern about hiring Brown would be how the city itself would react. Would a city whose current longest tenured coach is first-year Indians skipper Terry Francona accept Brown? Would they, a fan base that has suffered more heartbreak because of their sports teams than most other cities, be willing to let Brown come back? That question alone makes it harder to nail this whole coaching situation down. It would not shock me one bit if Brown is hired (and I am warming up to the idea, albeit slowly) but it is at least worth looking into other new names, like Brian Shaw or other top assistants. This is ultimately a coaching choice that could affect the franchise for years, whether said affect is positive or negative.

ZK: Shaw, who was the runner-up to Scott in snagging the Cleveland job three years ago, is an associate head coach with the Indiana Pacers right now – a team that ranks among the highest in most defensive categories this season. Shaw turned down the opportunity to coach the Charlotte Bobcats last season because he wants to be in a situation where he has a chance. Although Cleveland is still very far away from playoff contention, they have a lot of leverage with draft picks and money like I mentioned earlier. Shaw, who played in the Triangle Offense, has stated that he isn’t that huge a fan of the Jackson-inspired offensive, so that bodes well for Cleveland, as they are far away from having the pieces to run an efficient Triangle scheme.

CM: I could not agree more with that statement. The Triangle relies on skilled passing big men to make the offense work, and the Cavaliers really don’t have that on their roster. That, along with the need for drastic improvement, makes Brown the clear favorite. Let’s just hope he decides to spend time teaching defense rather than hitting up Chick-Fil-A.

Mar 8, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) rests his hands on his head during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

When big news breaks in the NBA, Right Down Euclid has you covered. In this edition of “Countertop Conversation,” contributors Chris Manning and Dan Pilar discuss the latest injury to Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving. 

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is now out for 3-4 weeks with a left shoulder sprain suffered against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Speculation has already begun about Irving being an injury-prone player and how it could effect the Cavaliers moving forward. Below Chris and Dan discuss that topic, as well as what type of player fits next to Irving long term.

Chris Manning; With Kyrie Irving out for 3-4 weeks with a shoulder sprain, it’s quite possible that we’ve seen the last of the young star this season. And if I had any pull within the Cavaliers organization, it would be the last time he plays this season. He’s taken a beating this season and it’s a good move for the future to give him some rest. It’s not worth it to risk him long term by playing him injured – even if he ends up being labeled injury prone.

Dan Pilar: He said last night that it hurt like hell.  And I get that everyone wants to shut him down since he’s going to miss three to four weeks. But with shutting him down this season you won’t achieve what you wanted this year – getting Irving and Dion Waiters to gel together. Waiters has played well this season, and we know he can ball, but it just seems like Waiters plays best when Irving isn’t in the game. Which, in a way, is good I guess that we can get offensive production when Irving is on the bench. But it’s more important to get them to play well when they’re in the game together. It will be on those two to get together in the summer and work on their game together.

CM: I couldn’t agree more. Moving forward it’s essential that Irving and Waiters develop into a formidable tandem. As it stands now, Waiters is the right-hand man to Irving. It could turn out to be Tristan Thompson, but I’m not sure he’ll ever develop into a consistent potent offensive threat. He has developed a nice push shot and a hook, but that’s not exactly enough to make him a go to score on the low block. But on the other hand, I still don’t think it’s worth it to play Irving and risk him. He’s the star of this team and truly one of the league’s premier up-and-coming talents. They need him healthy for next season, the year after and so on. Why play him now when these games really don’t mean anything in the long run?

DP: Trust me I get it – we’re still in the rebuilding progress. But when is enough enough? If Irving keeps getting hurt, do we keep shutting him down and keep worrying about a higher draft pick?  Obviously a higher draft pick is better, but when is this team going to worry about winning rather than rebuilding? Next year? That sounds like a typical Cleveland fan.  And with Irving getting hurt so much and being “injury prone,” do we draft another guard to protect the franchise from more of Irving’s injuries? Or do we just draft based on need? These are the types of decisions that build good franchises, and if they aren’t handled correctly, it leaves you as a bottom dweller and lottery team year-after-year.

CM: I agree with that sentiment about having to know when it the right time to go after contention, but with this year it’s totally worth it to rest him. If he rests for a month, he’ll come back with a whopping five games left in the season. For one, you can’t build chemistry in five games left and it’s likely their real chemistry is going to come from working together in the summer. And to discuss his injuries, I think these are kind of fluky injuries. They’ve occurred in situations that are just freak incidents and it’s not like this is one body part over and over again. That all considered, you draft for a combination of need and skill level. And in my opinion, the player in this draft that fits that the best is Otto Porter from Georgetown – a player Cleveland may not have been the position to draft with Irving in the lineup.

DP: Porter is a good player with great size and athleticism. I really think if Washington picks in front of us, which they currently are, then they will run to the podium to pick Porter. With Georgetown being in Washington D.C., this pick is a no brainer. However, if he is not there for us, we have to look at other players and let me ask you, do we draft based on talent or need? We are in line to sign Greg Oden to go along with Thompson, Zeller and Varejao. Speights can walk at the end of the year. Good chance Chris Grant will draft small-big like he has done in the past two drafts, which I would be a fan of. So many teams are getting out and running and playing with one big man, then surrounding him with four shooters. We even do it late in-game and have Alonzo Gee play the four, so it’s nothing unfamiliar to the Cavs. So drafting another guard might not seem smart now, but could work out in the end.

CM: I’m totally okay with taking another guard, but I don’t think our first pick (or our second potential first rounder) should be used on a point guard. A two guard like Shabazz Muhammed or Victor Olapipo (if available) would be interesting fits on this Cavaliers team. This team should be built around Irving without question. Take players to compliment Irving and have faith that he will be stay healthy. This draft really could be the draft where the Cavaliers start getting young and deep. Two first round picks gives them a lot of wiggle room to either take two players in the first round or package one to get a young talent. Let’s also remember that the Cavaliers will have a lot of cap space to go after a player or they can save it to invest in their core long term. I think the idea of selecting a player who could be a stretch four is ideal, especially if said player can run. That plays right into Irving’s skill set.

DP: I definitely don’t think they should draft a backup point guard; that shouldn’t even be a question. When Irving is on the bench resting, Waiters should be out on the court running the point. He has really impressed while Irving has been injured. Muhammed and Oladipo are both talented players. Their offensive stats speak for themselves. Both of them are around the 6-5 range, which makes me concerned that they can’t defend the small forward position. Oladipo can defend better than anyone in college basketball, but if you look at the Central Division in the East the small forwards are Luol Deng, Paul George, Luc Mbah A Moute and what was Tayshaun Prince, but now Kyle Singler. All of them are 6-8 or taller so they’re already giving up at least three inches.

CM: Which leads me to say that Porter, Alex Poythress or Anthony Bennett are logical picks for this team. Both are bigger and could move Gee to the bench as an ideal role player. The issue there is that Porter is the lone guy of that trio that may be good enough to consistently score from the wing. Let us also remember that at shooting guard, C.J. Miles and Wayne Ellington are both under the Cavaliers ‘control through next season, and both have been good additions to this squad. And I also think it’s worth giving Shaun Livingston a look as a long-term backup for Irving. I think he’s earned it and can be a solid veteran voice in the lockers. Dan, let’s end on these questions: What are the Cleveland Cavaliers without Kyrie Irving? Is there anyone on the roster who even has the potential to fill his already massive shoes and how worried about you about his long-term health? For me, there are some intriguing prospects, but no stars – no one on the roster is close to his level of ability and I’m somewhere in the middle on a scale of 1-10 – even if I sometimes need to remind myself that I don’t live in Philadelphia and Irving is not Andrew Bynum.

DP: I really like all three of those guys you just mentioned. Poythress gets the Michael Kidd-Gilchrist comparison because of the Kentucky connection, but I really see similarities in their game. Both won’t light it up form outside, but are big strong guys who can move really well and defend with the best. Bennett stands at only 6-8, so he doesn’t have great size for a power forward, but he has a seven-foot wingspan ,which leads me to believe he’ll be fine in the NBA.

Without Irving, the Cavs are nothing special. Irving brings that sexiness to the team that puts fear in the eyes of an opponent. And without him, I believe Waiters is right behind him to take over if Irving can’t. He sometimes takes stupid shots, but I trust him with the ball. The next draft pick, whomever it may be, has to be able to defend and hit the open shot. Two things we were hoping Gee could do, but he can’t consistently do both on a nightly basis.