Is Rose the Answer?

Until this week, many complained about the long-suffering Cavaliers fans. A team that was established in 1970, the first time the New York Knicks (who were established in 1946) won their first of two championships. Not to compare fan bases, however, if anyone wants to talk about long suffering fan bases, the Knicks are at the top of the list.

A day before the NBA draft, the Knicks made what they believe to be a pivotal move to alter the face of their franchise. Team president Phil Jackson aimed to put together his version of the big three. New York traded center Robin Lopez and guards Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon to Chicago. In return, New York received Derrick Rose, guard Justin Holiday and a 2017 second round pick. Jackson has his big three, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose.

On paper, Derrick Rose seems like a no-brainer. Only 27 years old, Chicago native Rose was drafted by the Bulls in 2008. In 2011 he was the youngest player at 22 to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. It all went down hill after that. Rose has been riddled with knee injuries since his MVP campaign. A torn ACL in 2012 and a torn right meniscus in 2013, and further surgery in 2014 have added to that spiral, leaving Rose’s career with little to be desired.

The Knicks are one of the most valuable franchise in the NBA in one of the biggest markets in the world. They struggled mightily for years to be competitive in this league. Not since the Ewing era have Knicks fans had a reason to believe their team had a fighting chance to win it all.

Poor management, large contracts to undeserving players and an owner that has been considered one of the worst owners in the NBA has been the talking points on the Knicks putrid play for years. After the Isaiah Thomas disaster,  and the D’Antoni experiment, owner James Dolan hired basketball legend Phil Jackson to man the helm. In Jackson’s first year with the Knicks, they finished with the worst record in franchise history at 17-65. The one move that may have salvaged Jackson’s tenure so far was picking Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 draft.

Fast forward to the acquisition of Derrick Rose. While this move makes all the sense in the world to the Bulls, I’m not sure what the Knicks are expecting. Rose is in the final year of his contract and is owed 21.3 million dollars. He will be a free agent after the 2016-17 season and will be seeking a max contract.  The Knicks are hoping Rose stays healthy and he has off the charts chemistry with Anthony and Porzingis. The Knicks are hoping Rose can step up on the big stage. They are hoping previous criticisms of him being a headcase, not showing emotion and not having heart are overstated. The Knicks are hoping Rose has an MVP year so they can throw a big contract his way. In a perfect world….

The Knicks are hoping Rose stays healthy and he has off the charts chemistry with Anthony and Porzingis. The Knicks are hoping Rose can step up on the big stage. They are hoping previous criticisms of him being a headcase, not showing emotion and not having heart are overstated. The Knicks are hoping Rose has an MVP year so they can throw a big contract his way. In a perfect world….

In a perfect world, he wouldn’t have missed 254 games over 5 seasons. In a perfect world, Rose wouldn’t have nagging injuries. In a perfect world, Derrick Rose would be the piece the Knicks have been waiting for.

The Knicks track record combined with Rose’s record leads me to believe this move is nothing more than another failed move to add to the long list.

Happy Draft Day!

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