Jeff Van Gundy raised a very salient point the other day.
As Derrick Rose misses yet another NBA postseason, I guess he can take solace in the fact that he’s indirectly and inadvertently helped journeyman point guards find their way in this league. Because he’s injured so much, and misses all that time, there’s a tremendous opportunity for mediocre ones to get starter minutes in Chicago.
This isn’t an insult against Derrick Rose. It sounds like a slam against D. Rose, but really it’s finding the bright side in a bad situation.
Of course, it’s not a complement either. And it’s not the positive outcome Rose would really want to be associated with.
There’s plenty of ways to spread good cheer and do good works in this world; I’m guessing it’s not the preferred method for Derrick Rose. But hey, it’s great for Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin. And this Monty Python “always look on the bright side of life” approach for Bulls fans isn’t my social theory, it belongs to ESPN NBA Analyst Jeff Van Gundy actually
“the one you talked about, D.J. Augustin, to me picking him up and signing him was a season favor, and I give management credit for signing him but Thibodeau for reenergizing him. It just shows you every backup point guard that comes through there – if I was a backup point guard I’d be signing in Chicago every year because I know I’m going to up my value and get paid because all of them get put in position where they can play their very best,” Jeff Van Gundy said by telephone.
Again sounds like a real slam against Derrick Rose, but it’s not. Not at all.
Jeff Van Gundy realizes that Tom Thibodeau is a great coach and his system helps fringe, role players become solid starters…at the point guard position. Because there always seems to be a lot of minutes open there lately.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a frequent guest on national talk radio. Banks is a former contributor to NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, who’s been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)