NBA Playoffs 2011: Will Dwyane Wade or LeBron James Guard Derrick Rose?
The question that is surrounding the NBA Eastern Conference Finals is: Who will have the difficult task of guarding Derrick Rose from the Miami Heat?
The answer is not a simple one.
Rose has been on fire in the postseason, first scorching the Indiana Pacers with a 27.6 points per game average. He then turned up the output by dropping 29.8 per contest on the Atlanta Hawks.
No hate intended towards Pacers or Hawks fans, but they are simply not on the defensive level that Miami is on.
Going up against this Miami Heat defense - and having to win four times - will be by far the toughest task the MVP has faced this season.
But, luckily for Rose, he has the size, speed, athleticism and basketball IQ to dismantle defensive schemes seemingly at will.
Luckily for Miami, they are a team filled with athletic defenders, who also know the game very, very well.
The question is, will it be Dwyane Wade, or LeBron James who has to step up and defend Derrick Rose?
The answer is both, and then some.
Expect Erik Spoelstra to throw multiple defenders at Rose throughout the course of the game. Mike Bibby may have to start off guarding Rose, and depending on how aggressive Rose is, will determine how long Mario Chalmers sits on the pine.
Chalmers has the lateral quickness and length to give Rose trouble, so it is only natural to assume he will spend a large portion of his time denying Rose the drive, and turning him into a jump-shooter.
There were times when this was all that was needed to minimize the effectiveness of Rose, but now that Rose has a consistent jumper, he becomes virtually impossible to guard.
Chalmers needs to bring his "A-game" defensively, for if he is effective on Rose, this allows LeBron and Wade time to somewhat relax on defense, keeping them fresher on the offensive end.
When Chalmers isn't on the floor, or when he just isn't doing what Spoelstra wants him to do, Wade will take over responsibilities.
He will look to turn Rose into a volume shooter.
Miami will accept the fact that, if Rose takes upwards of 25 shots, he is going to make some. They just have to make sure that he isn't being effective in doing so.
Rose has notably struggled percentage wise, but his ability to get to the line has often negated this fact.
That is where LeBron comes in.
While he isn't quick enough to contain Rose on the drive, he can easily take one or two steps back, playing off Rose.
This would be a frightening scenario for anyone, especially for Rose, who gives up five inches and around 60 pounds to LeBron. The only way you're getting to the hoop, D-Rose, is to try and out-muscle LeBron James.
With this in mind, Rose would probably then try to either create for his teammates, or create separation from LeBron and try to shoot off the dribble, or off the step-back.
LeBron, however, has the length to contest any jumpers Rose might shoot, even though he is a step or two back. The size advantage he has over Rose will be key.
While Wade and LeBron are both superb one-on-one defenders, it will take a team effort to slow down Rose, as he is simply too crafty to contain for the whole game with just one defender.
This is where Joel Anthony, Chris Bosh and the rest of the Miami Heat big men come into play.
They will have to be ready to move quickly, and build a wall, much like what the Celtics did against LeBron and Wade in the semifinals.
The hustle, shot-blocking and shot-changing will be key in this series, as it is nearly a guarantee that Rose will find some way to break down the defense and charge down the lane.
And if that doesn't seem difficult enough, Miami will have to have all of these different aspects of their defensive scheme firing at the same time, as you're only as strong as your weakest link.
That should answer your question.
Who will guard Derrick Rose?
The Miami Heat will.
