Derrick Rose said that when he decided he wanted to leave the Detroit Pistons, the only choice in his mind was to reunite with former manager Tom Thibodeau and executive William Wesley with the New York Knicks.
“Sure,” Rose said after scoring 14 points in 20 minutes in her debut Tuesday night, a 98-96 defeat in Miami to the Heat. “Even though I couldn’t tell at the time, I just wanted to feel comfortable. Like I said, I’ve known these guys since high school, eighth grade, high school, so coming here, like I said, it’s family. I don’t have never thought of anything else, but to really get here and understand that they wanted me to help raise the young kids they already have here. “
Rose, who the Knicks officially acquired Monday in exchange for point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and Charlotte’s second-round pick in 2021, she played well in her first game with the franchise since he left as a free agent at the end of the 2015-16 season. Rose went 5 for 9 from the field, including 2 for 3 by 3 points, to go with three assists and two turnovers in 20:20 of field time.
Those minutes came exclusively with Knicks rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley, with whom Thibodeau teamed up with Rose on the pitch. Thibodeau said after the game that he liked the look the pair provides together and indicated that it would be the backcountry of the New York second unit going forward. He added that the player Rose replaced in the rotation, Austin Rivers, would now be a “situational” player.