Knicks Rumors: Have We Seen Last Of Derrick Rose In Preseason

New York Knicks Rumors: Point guard Derrick Rose’s preseason could be over according to head coach Jeff Hornacek if he is unable to return to practice.

New York Knicks rumors have been relatively quiet recently as the preseason has worn on. The only question about the team has been the availability of point guard Derrick Rose. Rose has been in Los Angeles for a civil suit that accuses him and friends of rape. It has caused him to be away from the team for multiple weeks, as Rose only played in the Knicks’ first preseason game.

There was hope that he would return in time to get in more game action before the regular season, but that is now in serious doubt. Rose is still in Los Angeles, putting his availability for the Knicks final tuneups for Wednesday and Thursday against the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.

If the trial does not finish up and allow Rose to travel back in time for practice Tuesday, we could have seen the last of Derrick Rose for the preseason. Head coach Jeff Hornacek did not speak highly of Rose’s chances of playing in the final two preseason games if he is unable to practice beforehand. Newsday’s Al Iannazzone shared it on his Twitter account.

Hornacek made it sound unlikely that Rose would play in last two preseason games without going through a practice. He's still in LA.
— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) October 17, 2016

The trial was something the Knicks knew they had to deal with but were hopeful Rose would be more available. He only played against the Rockets on October 4th and has not participated in a practice or game since.

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It is certainly not what Rose or the team was hoping for. Getting practice time in with his teammates is imperative as practice time is limited during the regular season. He is learning a new offense, something he has said is complicated to pick up. Not being there to learn the intricacies and tendencies of his teammates hurts, since he is expected to run the offense as the starting point guard.

Hornacek does have confidence that Rose can pick up the offense once he returns, but there is only so much help practice can provide. Getting reps in game situations against opponents that aren’t teammates provides a different learning experience than controlled practices and scrimmages.

The Knicks were going to send an assistant coach to Los Angeles to help Rose learn the offense, but he was able to talk Hornacek out of that.

"“I talked to him — he said he’s following the games, checking that out,’’ Hornacek said. “I’m hoping he comes back as soon as he can. You hope it’s coming to a conclusion here soon. He exercises on his own. If he lost any of that conditioning from training camp, he’s going to have to get it back.”"

Being able to talk Hornacek out of sending an assistant coach should be taken as a positive. Getting his named cleared is priority No.1, but he is still putting in work for the basketball side of things as well.

While it isn’t good to be away from the team, the Knicks should feel okay knowing they can turn to Brandon Jennings if a problem arises. Jennings has played well in the preseason as Rose’s replacement in the starting lineup. He already has the crowd in a frenzy at Madison Square Garden, as he truly loves being a part of the Knicks.

The original plan was for Jennings to come off the bench, but that could change until Rose is brought up to speed. Throwing Rose into the fire without much preparation wouldn’t help anyone, as the Knicks projected starting five looks like it will play zero minutes together during the preseason.

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That could prompt a change, such as Jennings being the starter on opening night so that there is some continuity there for the team. Rose will be the starter, but it wouldn’t hurt to have him come off the bench at first to work himself back into the flow of things.

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