Many New York fans were surprised and even upset to hear that the Knicks decided to go ahead and trade for Derrick Rose again. The short tenure in the 2016-17 season soured New York’s sentiment for the youngest MVP. However, something new has been brewing in New York, and it’s begun to spark from the Rose who grew from the concrete. This go-around is different as New York has some new pieces, and namely head coach Tom Thibodeau is all too familiar with Rose’s ability. This is just the case as his debut this year with the Knicks was a close game with the Heat, and still, Thibodeau played Derrick during crucial minutes. These two veterans, having been reunited has now also helped in mentoring the young Knicks squad.
The Knicks, who were a projected bottom three team, are now on pace to make a playoff spot as they sit in the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. Knicks fans, however, were concerned early on that the trade for Rose would take a lot of minutes from their developing players. Namely, Emmanuel Quickley, who is one of the rookies on the team that Knicks fans, hope to see more in the rotation. Obi Toppen, another rookie, has stated that Rose is “Not only going to make himself look good, but he’s going to help everybody on his team look good” Which has been the case as Rose has been a key facilitator in the 2nd unit to get the ball to the younger guys.
Overall, the Rose trade has been a much-needed breath of fresh air for the Knicks. In the time that he was traded, the Knicks have gone 3-1, with the latter game only being lost by two points.
Rose has placed himself in the mentor role as he has already helped the young guys come out of their shell. Rose and Quickley have easily been the pair to follow as they have spent 59 minutes together on the court and, in that time, have outscored their opponents by 42 points. It is a small sample size, but one thing is for sure, Derrick Rose and Quickley have a working dynamic that can cause some trouble for teams that they face.
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