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When he was rehired last winter for a Knicks sequel only a precious few New Yorkers wanted, Derrick Rose was not supposed to be the correct answer to any pressing question, other than this one:
Who will be the next Tom Thibodeau loyalist brought in to preach the Tao of Thibs?
Taj Gibson was already in place, and as Thibodeau tried to shape the 2021 Knicks into a credible playoff contender, he turned to a vital figure from his past. Rose had been the youngest MVP in league history in 2011, when he led the Bulls to 62 victories and a place in the Eastern Conference finals, and helped Thibodeau, a rookie, win coach of the year.
But Rose was 32 when the Knicks made the deal with Detroit, and he appeared to be a quarterback no longer explosive enough to make dazzling plays outside the pocket. And besides, his first run with the Knicks in 2016-17 was an all-things-considered bummer under Jeff Hornacek that included his game-night absence to tend to a family issue in Chicago without giving his employer any notice.
Times change, and players change with them. Rose has not only been a pro’s pro and culture-setter for Thibodeau — his coach in Chicago and Minnesota — he’s been an invaluable endgame solution to a point-guard problem that was supposed to be solved by someone else.
Kemba Walker was signed to run the Knicks like he ran Rice High in Harlem, and the Gauchos in The Bronx, and the UConn Huskies in the Big East and NCAA tournaments. Though Walker has had his moments, including a breakthrough first half in his Charlotte homecoming, his New York homecoming has been less than inspiring.
Entering Wednesday night’s game against Orlando in the Garden, Walker owned the Knicks’ worst plus-minus total at minus-104, while Rose, his backup, owned the team’s best plus-minus total at plus-131 — 44 points better than his nearest teammate (Immanuel Quickley). Rose’s player efficiency rating was 21.36, his best rating since 2012, the year after he was named MVP. Walker’s 16.84 was his worst rating since 2014.
Rose was shooting a career-high 44.2 percent from 3-point range, and in two games against the defending-champion Bucks he delivered 45 points, 11 assists, five steals and no turnovers in 60 minutes. But his impact can’t be defined by numbers alone.
When Rose has the ball in his hands, every New Yorker invested in the outcome feels a certain sense of calm. “I’m playing with joy,” Rose has said more than once. He isn’t quite Mariano Rivera in the top of the ninth, but he’s been a fearless closer who has earned the blind faith of his fellow Knicks.
Julius Randle even recently called him “a much more complete, better player than he was” in his prime. “He’s extremely wise, so it’s not really vintage. He’s evolving.”
Truth is, Rose isn’t a better player than he was in his terminator days with the Bulls, averaging 25 a night. But stripped of some of his athleticism by his knee injuries, and by the undefeated forces of age and gravity, he has evolved into a smarter player out of necessity. At 33, he now says, “Hopefully I’m going to try to Tom Brady this thing, play as long as possible, make sure I really take care of my body. … I don’t have to score 30 points a night anymore to affect the game.”
Wednesday night, with the Magic in town, Rose’s positive presence took on more profound meaning. Cole Anthony, son of former Knicks point guard Greg Anthony and a New Yorker by way of Archbishop Molloy, entered the game on a tear. Asked about Anthony’s improvement from Year 1 to Year 2, Thibodeau said the following:
“The big thing is, after you get a chance to go through the league once, I think there’s a bigger comfort level, probably the opportunity to play more but also the understanding. And he had an advantage — he grew up around the pro game. So I think he had an understanding of that, and the way he’s playing says a lot about him. He’s an explosive player. He continues to grow. His dad was a heck of a player. So, fierce competitor. And Cole’s probably a better offensive player [than his father].”
Nobody is saying that the 21-year-old Anthony is a certain long-term NBA star, or that he will definitely develop into a better player than Obi Toppin, whom the Knicks drafted in 2020 with Anthony still on the board. Nonetheless, given that the Knicks have been searching for a franchise quarterback as long as the Jets have, Anthony’s scoring surge would be more conspicuous if Derrick Rose weren’t in the Knicks’ rotation.
But he is in the rotation, and everyone who cares about the Knicks is better off for it.
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