New York Knicks Rumors: Point guard Derrick Rose is expected to make his return against the Los Angeles Lakers.
New York Knicks rumors in recent days have revolved around the availability of point guard Derrick Rose. Rose suffered back spasms in the Knicks victory over the Miami Heat earlier this week. He was able to battle through the pain in the first half but did not return for the second half of that game.
The back spasms caused Rose to miss the following two games; a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and a victory over the Sacramento Kings. Those two games look like they will be the only ones that Rose miss for the back spasms.
Rose wants to play against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, and he took a step in the right direction for doing that as he practiced in full Saturday. According to Jonah Ballow, via Jeff Hornacek, Rose not only made it through the whole practice but he looked good doing it according to head coach Jeff Hornacek.
Hornacek said @drose looked good in practice today. Was able to participate in entire session. #Knicks
— Jonah Ballow (@jonahballow) December 10, 2016
This is good news for the Knicks and Rose. It seemed like a return was imminent because he was able to make the road trip; it was a matter of when not if. While the Knicks were able to split their two games without Rose, having him back in the lineup helps.
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Without Rose, the Knicks were forced to rely on Brandon Jennings heavily. He was able to handle it against the Kings, but you do not want players playing as many minutes as he was forced to against the Kings when he played 39 minutes.
The Knicks do not have a true third point guard on the roster so all of the responsibility fell on Jennings. Sasha Vujacic chipped in some help, but Hornacek did not give minutes to Ron Baker, who is technically the third point guard.
The Knicks were able to avoid a problem this time, but it may be an area to keep an eye on. Rose and Jennings have been able to stay healthy for the most part in the early going. But, if one of them ever missed an extended period of time a move will have to be made. The Knicks do not have another point guard to turn to on the roster for extended minutes running the offense.
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Getting Rose back on the court should be a boon for the Knicks. They are in the midst of a five-game road trip, so getting him back will help. They will be looking for their fourth consecutive road victory against the Lakers tonight.