Should Derrick Rose Listen to Dwight Howard’s Advice?

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Dwight Howard’s hard foul last night led to Derrick Rose’s injured wrist, which he reportedly had put in a sling following the Bulls’ inevitable loss to Orlando. Following the game, Howard and teammate Vince Carter offered Rose some advice about driving the lane.

In summary: don’t do it against Dwight Howard. It’s advice worth considering for Rose, seeing as how this is the second time this season a collision with Dwight Howard has led to injuries.

The media in Chicago, though, wasn’t trying to hear it. They were offended by Howard’s attempts at counsel, and none more so than Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald:

What bugs me about Howard is he’s always whining about those slap-on-the-wrist fouls he gets, which would have ended long ago if he’d learned to make a free throw. So a hack on the wrist to send a bad free-throw shooter to the line is an egregious offense. But if Rose gets knocked to the floor on a drive to the basket, that’s just weak flesh hitting powerful steel. Yeah, whatever.

Hard fouls are part of the NBA game, but violent mid-air collisions, whether it’s Derrick Rose or Othyus Jeffers on the receiving end, need to stop. Howard claimed he even offered Rose some advice on how not to get injured by guys like Howard in the future. It’s known as the “two-foot rule.” “I always tell him, ‘If you come down the lane, always come off two feet,’” he said. “That way you’ll be on balance. You come off one (foot), all it takes is for somebody’s body to hit you and you’re going to fall.”

If you’re 7-feet tall, standing under the basket and plan to go up for a two-hand dunk, then jumping off two feet makes terrific sense. But most athletic drives to the basket don’t call for a two-foot takeoff. So basically Howard is telling Rose never drive to the basket again and he’ll stay injury-free. Great advice, Dwight.

Meow. Catty!

It remains to be seen when Rose will be back in action, and going forward, if he’ll listen to Dwight Howard’s advice or that of the angry writers who cover his team.