2013 NBA Playoffs

[The_Admiral]

I guess I'm a Grizzlies fan for now as none of their star players appear to be sitting out at close to 100% while teammates are playing on one leg, getting spinal taps, or puking in buckets on the sideline.

[Nyk33]

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/9239520/derrick-rose-chicago-bulls-held-back-lack-muscle-memory-according-report

"I was able to speak with Derrick off-camera a couple days ago, and he's telling me how badly he does want to be out there, but he says that he just doesn't have the muscle memory back, is the way he put it," sideline reporter Rachel Nichols said during the network's coverage of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Muscle memory? What kind of a made up excuse is that? What has he been doing at all of these practices and shoot arounds? Shouldn't the shooting drills have kicked back his muscle memory?

Your team's season is on the line! I can understand if he were to come back and not be the Derrick Rose of old, but I believe he can still be a big factor if he were to play. He also owes him teammates that much.

[Kramerica Industries]

You know, I had kept my peace on that Derrick Rose topic for a while there, too. Franchise player, and with the way things looked for the Bulls this year, it wasn't likely to turn into something special.

But, dammit. He's long been cleared to play, he supposedly looks like D-Rose during practice, and his team needs him more than ever right now. He's disrespecting his teammates, fans, and organization by not playing at this juncture. Get your ass on the court, Derrick.

[dbadefense1990]

So all teams who had 3-2 series leads tonight closed out their respective series. In the six series with 3-2 leads, only one goes to a Game 7, Bulls and Nets. What a letdown. On the other hand, I kind of wanted to see an NBA postseason without a Game 7. Mixed bag of results here.

And as for Crawford, the officiating today reeked of shadyness and craptacularism. But he is responsible for one of the more chuckling GIFs this season:

[ninersdd]

You know, I had kept my peace on that Derrick Rose topic for a while there, too. Franchise player, and with the way things looked for the Bulls this year, it wasn't likely to turn into something special.

But, dammit. He's long been cleared to play, he supposedly looks like D-Rose during practice, and his team needs him more than ever right

now. He's disrespecting his teammates, fans, and organization by not playing at this juncture. Get your ass on the court, Derrick.

Yeah, they interviewed Sid before tonights Penguins game, and he said that if he's medically cleared he's gonna play. Why can't Rose have that same attitude? Like I said last night, something is up.

[Nyk33]

And as for Crawford, the officiating today reeked of shadyness and craptacularism. But he is responsible for one of the more chuckling GIFs this season:

Joey Crawford is an attention whore that likes to push his authority around on the players to feed his ego even if it can ruin the game unnecessarily for the teams and fans watching at home.

Just ask Tim Duncan if you disagree.

[The_Admiral]

Muscle memory? What kind of a made up excuse is that? What has he been doing at all of these practices and shoot arounds? Shouldn't the shooting drills have kicked back his muscle memory?

We've had

1) Need to be 100%

2) Need to be 110%

3) Need to dunk off left foot

4) Nobody knows but God

5) I lost my muscle memory

Where's 6) I'm afraid of getting clowned by LeBron James, or worse, Joe Johnson

[Still MIGHTY]

It's ok, Clippers. You'll always have that Pacific Division banner to look back upon.

[Lights Out]

It's ok, Clippers. You'll always have that Pacific Division banner to look back upon.

And your Lakers will have Dwight Howard's albatross of a contract and decades of Jim Buss' ineptitude to look forward to. Enjoy!

[dfwabel]

You know, I had kept my peace on that Derrick Rose topic for a while there, too. Franchise player, and with the way things looked for the Bulls this year, it wasn't likely to turn into something special.

But, dammit. He's long been cleared to play, he supposedly looks like D-Rose during practice, and his team needs him more than ever right

now. He's disrespecting his teammates, fans, and organization by not playing at this juncture. Get your ass on the court, Derrick.

Yeah, they interviewed Sid before tonights Penguins game, and he said that if he's medically cleared he's gonna play. Why can't Rose have that same attitude? Like I said last night, something is up.

We do not know his medical condition and the Bulls telling the media and us that, "he is cleared to play" does not hold water to me. It is apparent that his family and possibly even Rose himself are not happy with that disclosure.

All Rose has to do is to take calls from Grant Hill (foot during his FILA contract era), Allan Houston, Penny Hardaway, and most recently Brandon Roy about coming back as soon as one is medically cleared to play so see how their careers ended up.

[Rockstar Matt]

It's ok, Clippers. You'll always have that Pacific Division banner to look back upon.

And your Lakers will have Dwight Howard's albatross of a contract and decades of Jim Buss' ineptitude to look forward to. Enjoy!

Butthurt, just a little bit? The Lakers will be fine. Thank God we don't have Jerry Jones as our GM...

[Lights Out]

Butthurt, just a little bit?

Gee, I can't imagine why I'd be pissed at a fan of the Lakers - the team we swept and who just spent $100 million to get swept out of the first round - of all teams trying to take shots at the Clippers on the night of a painful playoff loss.

The Lakers will be fine. Thank God we don't have Jerry Jones as our GM...

Jim Buss will be the basketball version of Jerry Jones.

[Kramerica Industries]

But he's been cleared to play for quite a while now.

Theoretically, he would only be in better medical condition now than he was then, right? And, if he was still in pretty poor shape, then I have some pretty strong concerns about the quacks who are working with him in his rehab right now.

[dfwabel]

But he's been cleared to play for quite a while now.

Theoretically, he would only be in better medical condition now than he was then, right? And, if he was still in pretty poor shape, then I have some pretty strong concerns about the quacks who are working with him in his rehab right now.

I know I am not medically licensed to practice medicine and even if I was I could not make neither a diagnosis or recommendation due to not having his medical records.

Say it was not a knee, but rather a concussion, would you feel differently?

[Kramerica Industries]

Concussions are brain bruises. Most of us are football fans, and we have all seen the effect that stuff can have even (seemingly) long after the initial cause of the injury has passed.

At the same rate, though, many doctors, especially these days, are much more careful about issuing clearances to return to activities with concussions. I don't think it's really a comparable thing. If someone is still exhibiting any symptoms of a concussion, they aren't going to play. This is why Sidney Crosby missed almost a calendar year between January and December 2011. Are we hearing any reports about Derrick Rose still suffering from re-occurring symptoms related to his torn ACL? None that I've heard, but I don't follow the Bulls that closely, so I won't profess to being the most keen on that topic.

[The_Admiral]

We're hearing that he practices and looks good in practice, after having been cleared to play. He's just too spooked to play real games against LeBron, even though he is now citing "lost muscle memory" as his reason not to come back. And how, pray tell, might one regain muscle memory?

[ninersdd]

Wax on, wax off I believe

[The_Admiral]

My mental picture of "lost muscle memory" is akin to Ted Striker's drinking problem.

[pmoehrin]

Muscle memory? What kind of a made up excuse is that? What has he been doing at all of these practices and shoot arounds? Shouldn't the shooting drills have kicked back his muscle memory?

We've had

1) Need to be 100%

2) Need to be 110%

3) Need to dunk off left foot

4) Nobody knows but God

5) I lost my muscle memory

Where's 6) I'm afraid of getting clowned by LeBron James, or worse, Joe Johnson

Like I said earlier he was going to have a free pass until the second round and we just about there now.

But I think it speaks to why he doesn't talk to the media. Its probably the first time in his career where he's faced real criticism for something and he just can't deal with it. If that's true, he wouldn't be the first and he won't be the last.

Its hard maybe even impossible to be fair to Derrick Rose in this spot because nobody knows what he's going through. All you have to go in comparison to other players, but when everyone else is back that's been in a similar spot, how do you blame people thinking for he should be back now?

The other aspect is if your practicing and doing pre game work outs how do you expect people not take it as a sign your close to coming back? I've never heard of a player doing that. If he said back in February I just don't feel right and would rather just take the year off and come back 100% next year rather then stretch this out and potentially be a distraction, I don't think many people would have an issue with that. But to be involved in team activities for months on end with no intention of returning? That's a different story. I don't think you can consider yourself part of a team when you have no intention of playing. You want to rehab, fine. But don't take time away from the people that are actually going to play and when your participating in team practices and not playing, your doing just that whether that's your intention or not.

It may in fact be best for him to sit out the season, but its getting tougher and tougher to defend someone who's ducking the media, changing his reasons for not returning and putting more and more time between the present and when the injury occurred.

[Still MIGHTY]

Butthurt, just a little bit?

Gee, I can't imagine why I'd be pissed at a fan of the Lakers - the team we swept and who just spent $100 million to get swept out of the first round - of all teams trying to take shots at the Clippers on the night of a painful playoff loss.

The Lakers will be fine. Thank God we don't have Jerry Jones as our GM...

Jim Buss will be the basketball version of Jerry Jones.

And yet were both in the same place: out in the first round.