CLEVELAND _ The news was so painful, in more ways than one, that Derrick Rose could barely pay attention.
The Cavaliers point guard underwent an MRI on his sprained left ankle Friday and the team announced he will miss at least two more weeks.
Rose was evaluated at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health by team physician Dr. James Rosneck and Dr. Brian Donley and they determined Rose's ankle should be immobilized in a boot for the next week.
The Cavs said Rose will need extended treatment over the next two to three weeks.
Rose said it was hard to hear the latest news from trainer Steve Spiro.
"I really wasn't listening," Rose said before Friday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Quicken Loans Arena. "I was just there. Just sucks."
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said Iman Shumpert will continue to start in the absence of Rose, the 2011 league MVP.
Asked about the play of Shumpert, Lue said, "He's been great. I think playing under control, and having a bigger guy to guard the point guards and being physical with the guys at the point guard position has been really good for us."
Friday marked Rose's ninth game missed out of the Cavs' first 16, all with the ankle issue. He sat out four games before returning Oct. 29 at home against the New York Knicks. But with uncharacteristic errors against the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 5 and Nov. 7, Rose realized he wasn't physically right.
"It's been the same for the last week and a half or something like that. Just trying to be patient, take my time and just letting it heal," Rose said. "Hopefully this boot takes some of the pressure off, so that I could have some progress."
Rose said he tried to run on Wednesday at Charlotte and the ankle still didn't feel right.
"Coming back here I knew that I was going to see the specialist," Rose said. "We didn't want to push it or overdo it, just make it worse. Just being smart and paying attention to what's actually going on."
Rose said Saturday in Dallas that he thought he took a step back by returning too soon.
"Who knows? I knew I was just trying to do the right thing, coming back as soon as possible. And it swelled up on me and that's when I took under consideration that something may be really wrong," Rose said. "After the Milwaukee game, that's when I knew that I had to see somebody."
Rose's career has been plagued by knee injuries, but he said this is his first time with a serious ankle injury.
"But an injury is an injury. Like, if anything, you just want your spirits up and you're thinking right. It's all about finding that happy space and just doing whatever you can to make the progress a little bit faster," he said.
The league has become virtually position-less with players' versatility. But the Cavs are without their top two point guards in Rose and expected starter Isaiah Thomas, rehabbing a torn labrum in his right hip that could keep him out through the end of the year. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Thomas, who has been shooting before games for about two weeks, could return before Rose.
Lue said the Cavs don't play with the same pace with Rose out.
"Guys that can run pick and roll and get into the paint. I think his speed and quickness of pushing the ball and playing with pace, (is what) we truly miss," Lue said.
Lue said he doesn't believe he will face a dilemma when Rose returns, even though virtually all the Cavs have taken turns bringing the ball upcourt, including LeBron James, Jae Crowder, Dwyane Wade and Jeff Green.
"Not really. We still miss a true point guard," Lue said. "It's hard having to just try to mix and match and have Jeff play the point and D-Wade and different guys, but they've been doing a good job of handling (it). And we know (Rose is) going to be out for at least two weeks now so just keep continuing to plug away."
Lue had no update on the timetable on Thomas Friday.
