Derrick Rose To New York Knicks: Good Or Bad Move?
Would it be a good idea for the New York Knicks to trade for Derrick Rose? Our Robert Brunswick breaks it down.
Rumors regarding Derrick Rose joining forces with the New York Knicks surfaced mere hours ago and it’s already a hot topic around the NBA. With the hiring of Jeff Hornacek as head coach, and the salary cap jumping to $94 million, the Knicks have every bit of incentive to acquire Rose.
Whether or not he’s worth it, that is the question.
What can Rose bring to the table?
In 2015-16, Rose managed to play 66 games—his most time played in a season since 2010-11 when he won the MVP award. Though he showed signs of a comeback, he never really reached the heights he was at some years ago.
This past season, though, he averaged 16.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on a slash line of .427/.293/.793. Right off the bat, the Knicks should be impressed with his overall field-goal percentage.
Considering his oft-injured career, Rose still manages to stay consistent on the court.
Ironically, the only guard currently on the Knicks’ roster to shoot over 40 percent was Jose Calderon. Though Rose’s 3-point shooting leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth, he still has room to improve his shooting from long distance.
What should really stand out, though, is his aggression and penetrating mentality.
If New York can manage to squeeze in a deal to secure Rose, then he and Tony Wroten would ultimately provide an athletic, offensive-minded backcourt rotation.
Moving parts
Tony Wroten is near-guaranteed to be a player on the Knicks’ roster this coming season. Despite shooting poorly from 3-point range and being turnover prone, Wroten instantly boosts the Knicks’ scoring on drives.
Rose, too, would help bring that percentage up tenfold, which could make them a deadly combination in the backcourt rotation for New York.
Simply from watching the Knicks play, it’s easy for viewers to notice how little the guards drove to the rim before pulling up for a contested shot. Jerian Grant is the only exception for the Knicks’ backcourt.
His effort in driving to the rim and scoring far exceeds the rest of the bunch, even if he could only finish with his dominant shooting hand most of the time.
Adding two slashing guards into the mix could place Grant further down the line in the rotation… Again. The Knicks should be doing everything they can to develop Grant, as he showed in the closing of the 2015-16 season that he was ready to play and could score at will while dishing to his teammates.
The one thing that could save Grant from being pushed down the totem pole, however, is Arron Afflalo opting out. If Jeff Hornacek’s intuition is correct, then Afflalo will opt out, allowing the Knicks to do the following:
- Ditch Afflalo’s contract for good, opening up even more cap space for future acquisitions.
- Shift Wroten down to the shooting-guard position, either starting or backing up Langston Galloway.
- Utilize Grant as Rose’s backup—if he were to be signed.
- Eliminate Jose Calderon from the lineup altogether, but allow him to provide veteran guidance.
It must seem redundant among Knicks writers when Calderon is the topic of conversation. His role on the Knicks should come to a close one way or another, and he’ll likely be an asset included in the Derrick Rose trade offers to come, along with some other trade bait.
Knicks fans just better hope that no future picks are involved.
If Calderon is unable to be moved and the Knicks can still secure Rose in some other fashion, he could stay on-call in order to be a voice for the younger players. If Rose does in fact become part of the Knickerbockers, then the backcourt’s defensive and offensive production increases without question.
Just imagine a Grant, Galloway, Rose and Wroten rotation.
Even though Rose’s defensive numbers per 100 possessions are a little weak (defensive rating of 110 per Basketball-Reference.com), he still has the ability to keep up with some of the elite guards in the NBA, making him a strong play for the Knicks.
On top of a Rose signing, however, impending free agency should also be slapping New York in the face.
Free agency
As we all know, free agency has arrived and some key assets are available for signing. However, the Knicks should use the salary cap wisely given their circumstances.
They’ll only have six or seven players signed to a guaranteed contract, so there is some space to fill. Kent Bazemore has been a fan favorite, given his ability to play a swingman role. Likewise, Nicolas Batum offers some creativity at multiple positions both in terms of defense and offense.
Another interesting pickup would be Wesley Johnson, who offers some 3-point shooting and defense. He’ll come cheap—he just declined his $1.23 million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers—so the Knicks could manage to offer him a nice deal in order to boost the small-forward rotation.
Derrick Rose tops the headlines for New York at the moment, and moving him is one of the Chicago Bulls’ preferences. He’d only be under contract for one season in New York if they managed to acquire him, which could put them off somewhat.
must read: Pros and cons of pursuing Derrick Rose
However, the rising salary cap allows the option to secure Rose for the long-haul.