Who was Knicks’ Derrick Rose referring to with latest comments on 2021-2022 failures?
Derrick Rose is entering his 15th season in the league, and after playing in only 26 games in 2021-22 due to an ankle injury, the 33-year-old looked like a new player at the New York Knicks’ Media Day on Monday.
For starters, he showed up shirtless after losing 20 pounds during the offseason thanks to a workout regimen provided by Tom Thibodeau and his email account. After undergoing two surgeries last season, Rose said that he’s “100 percent healthy.” That’s good to hear, although New York signed Jalen Brunson in free agency, so there isn’t as big of a need for Rose as there was last season.
Nevertheless, Rose will come off the bench and be a source of leadership for the team’s young core. With Taj Gibson gone to the Washington Wizards, Rose is the veteran for the Knicks. He’s been in the league long enough to know what it takes to be successful, and at Media Day, he talked about what New York needs to focus on moving forward.
"I think what this year's all about is accountability. Being able to not get in your feelings…when somebody's coming over & giving you constructive criticism…If the last guy can't tell the star you missed a coverage, something wrong; & it's vice versa"
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 27, 2022
– Derrick Rose pic.twitter.com/IXUMgkQtCw
Derrick Rose preaches accountability ahead of the Knicks’ 2022-23 season
There’s been speculation about if Rose was talking about someone in particular, with that someone being Julius Randle, who completely fell off last season after a stellar 2020-21. Look at who popped in during Rose’s comments, though.
Julius Randle liked what Derrick Rose had to say about accountability going into this season 😂 pic.twitter.com/Ls3pvBDzy4
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) September 26, 2022
Rose isn’t going to sit in front of the media ahead of a new season and throw one of his teammates under the bus, but Randle did fail to hold himself accountable last season, as did Tom Thibodeau, who held back the younger players until the very end of a season that had already turned into a disaster.
The good news is that the Knicks seem to be entering the year with a new mindset, Randle included. With New York being in a tough conference and division, accountability will be vital for the team to stay on track throughout the 82-game season. There are going to be times when things get tough, but that’s expected, and the Knicks will have to be able to rebound.
You can argue about whether or not Derrick Rose should have a spot on the team, but being a young team, New York needs someone to help keep things in check, and for now, that’s Rose.
