New York Knicks: The Return of Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose has missed the last two months with an ankle injury, and his absence is certainly felt. The team has much less structure, there’s less on-court leadership, and nobody else can run the floor.
Rose is clearly the best point guard on the Knicks, it is not even close. Kemba Walker is constantly dealing with knee injuries and has been wildly inconsistent, Deuce McBride has been a force in the G League but is still just a 20-year-old second-round rookie, and Alec Burks is a small forward playing point guard.
The Knicks were 11-14 when they acquired Rose in early February 2021. They proceeded to go 30-17 once Rose had made his return to New York.
The Knicks have recently been awful with their 25-34 record. They need a spark lit under them if they hope to return to the playoffs. They also need someone to run the offense. Rose is their last hope.
Rose has been a fan favorite since returning to New York. Rose is the reason why we Knicks fans got to celebrate outside MSG, and he will forever be a legend for it.
Rose’s 26-point Game 2 performance against the Atlanta Hawks that led to an absolute riot in the streets outside Madison Square Garden was one of the most electric nights of my life. Rose was the reason we got to scream the infamous Trae Young chants, along with replacing the “F–k Trae Young chants” to the same chant but aimed at Houston Astros 2nd baseman Jose Altuve just because… well… that’s New York sports.
Rose has embodied the Knicks mentality that got us to end our playoff drought, he was a major piece in turning the team around, so hopefully, he can do it again.
Even if Rose does not completely save our season, having a true point guard and leader back on the court would be huge for a Knicks team that looks lost.