New York Knicks: Derrick Rose Believes He Will Be Elite Point Guard Again
New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose believes that he can regain his MVP form again.
The New York Knicks knew they weren’t getting MVP Derrick Rose when they acquired him this offseason in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. Rose has battled numerous injuries since taking home the MVP award in 2010-11 season. Those injuries have sapped Rose of a lot of the explosion and athleticism that made him as talented a player as he was.
As a result, Rose has fallen short of what would be considered elite numbers. He averaged 16.4 points and 4.7 assists per game, well off his career numbers of 19.7 points and 6.2 assists. His efficiency dropped across the board as he tried to get his legs underneath him after missing so much time.
Despite the drop in production, Rose has not seen his confidence wane. While many people have written him off and do not believe he can return, Rose has remained supremely confident in himself. Rose was asked Monday at practice if he wants to show people that he is still elite this season and he emitted confidence.
"“Yeah, but I know I am,” he said. “That’s no surprise to me. It’s only a matter of time until I put it together. All the hard work I put in, everything how I dedicated my whole life to this game, what I sacrificed. It’s only a few that did it and that’s doing it. So it’s all about just putting it together.”"
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It is nice to see that Rose is still confident in his ability to perform on the court. Phil Jackson traded for him hoping that he would regain some of that magic that made him the youngest MVP in league history.
But, it will take some time to get back on track. Rose doesn’t have much experience with his new team, as he missed multiple weeks being in Los Angeles for his civil suit, which he and two friends were found not liable in for raping an ex-girlfriend of Rose’s.
Rose has little time to make up for missed time, as the Knicks get things started tonight against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Missing all of that practice to become a cohesive unit with his teammates cannot be replaced, but Rose likes the players the Knicks have in place.
"“I’m very excited. We got a lot of great pieces,” Rose said after practice Monday. “We’re learning how to play together. We’re learning chemistry. But it comes from experience and it comes with playing with each other.”"
The Knicks have a strong starting unit on paper. Rose is projected to start with Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Joakim Noah. The unit should mesh well together in head coach Jeff Hornacek‘s system, which will emphasis more pick-and-rolls. If that comes to fruition, the Knicks can be dangerous with the talent they have on the court.
“It’s pick your poison,” Rose said. “My job is to create a double team so the weak side has a hard time closing down on shooters.”
As the point guard, it is up to Rose to distribute and get his teammates involved. He will initiate the offense more times than not, which means he has to pick his spots of when to pass and when to attack. The Knicks have lacked a point guard that can penetrate and get to the basket, something that will make things easier for everyone on the court.
Rose is trying so hard to catch up and fit in that Hornacek believes he may have to push Rose to look for his shot more often.
"“I think there’s going to be times when I’m going to have tell Derrick be more aggressive,” Hornacek said Monday. “There are times he’s trying to set his teammates up, which is great for a point guard. But a lot of the early offense in the open court he’s a hard guy to guard. He’ll be on the attack…. He feels he’s got great players on his team that he can rely but there’s going to be times that he’s going to have the advantage and we’re going to want him to attack.”"
It will take Rose to find his comfort level in the new offense under Hornacek. He has admitted previously that the triangle is difficult to pick up, which makes all the missed practice all that more big of a deal.
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But Rose’s natural basketball ability will eventually take over. The Knicks are hoping that he can come close to the old MVP form he had with the Bulls, but even his production from recent seasons would be an upgrade for them from the point guard spot.