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Jalen Rose’s Hope for ‘Bad Blood’ When Dion Waiters Returns to Cleveland a Refreshing Point of View

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By @AllDave_AllDay

Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins Trade forced by LeBron James

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When Dion Waiters was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers, it likely emitted many sighs of relief in the Northeastern Ohio area. Since the trade, LeBron James and company have had mixed results without the enigmatic young SG on their roster, and Waiters was not shy wvhen asked recently about the differences between his old roster and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“Listen, they give me the ball. Like, I touch the ball. Like, I actually, like, you know, touch the ball,” he said to the Oklahoman. “I’m able to feel the game out, knowing when to take the shot, when not to. Like I said, we got a great group of guys on this team who’s very unselfish and they want you to be successful. So I think I came into a great situation.”

You can tell from those comments that he was somewhat peeved by his old teammates, but will there be bad blood between Waiters and the Cavs when he returns for the first time on Sunday? Well, Rant Sports asked just that to Jalen Rose in a recent ABC Media conference call, and you might be surprised by what the ESPN analyst said.

“I hope there is some bad blood. That is what professional sports is all about,” Rose said on Thursday afternoon. “That is what playing against your ex-team is all about. He could have put a sock in it and just play. There is more to basketball than how many shots you are getting and/or if you are getting the ball, and as a young player, that is something that he has to learn and will learn. Don’t always just talk about what’s happening with you and how it relates to your shots and your isolation opportunities, because he is going to be counted on to do a lot more, and I think with his physical attributes and his size he should be asked to a lot more, particularly on the defensive end. So hopefully he grows into those roles.”

This is a refreshing point of view in an NBA that does not have much bad blood anymore. Gone are the days where NBA brawls were a daily occurrence, and the league could stand to have a few more heated rivalries for the sake of TV ratings. Well, it should be fun to watch how Waiters performs on Sunday against his old team. Let’s all hope for a little bad blood.

Dave Daniels is a Prep Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.

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