Derrick Rose scored 18 points and looked plenty rusty in the Chicago Bulls’ 97-95 season-opening win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, shooting just 8-of-22 from the floor. A lot of that probably had to do with the plastic mask he was wearing to protect his fractured orbital, but a reporter hinted after the game that Matthew Dellavedova may have given Rose some trouble.
Rose seemed to disagree, to put it kindly.
When Rose was asked about going up against Dellavedova, he complimented the scrappy Cavs guard for being a “great player” but almost seemed offended by the question.
“To tell you the truth I’m not into that matchup, man,” Rose said. “That’s just someone that, I don’t know. He’s a great hard player, but I don’t know what else I can say about him. I’m not into that matchup. It’s no matchup.”
A reporter then pointed out that Rose has made it a point to go after guys who he felt got the best of him in the past. Dellavedova gave D-Rose problems in the playoffs last season.
“That may be the case, but it’s no matchup there at all,” Rose said with a smile. “He’s a great player, though.”
You can watch the video below and decide if you think Rose was trying to insult Dellavedova.
Derrick Rose on Matthew Dellavedova "It's no match-up" pic.twitter.com/awjm6enP2V
— Joshua A. Vinson (@TheJoshAVinson) October 28, 2015
Dellavedova is nowhere near as talented a player as Rose, but he proved in the playoffs last year that he is a gritty player who can give even the NBA’s best players some issues — Rose included. In fact, there was a series of memes dedicated to him during the NBA playoffs for that reason.
But beyond calling him a “great hard player,” Rose has no interest in speaking about the challenges — or lack thereof — facing Dellavedova presents.
H/T The Big Lead
