New York Knickerbockers

[Guiness]

Can Jeff Hornacek help the Knicks in free agency?

 

 

There’s an Eastern Conference guard out there who was linked to the New York Knicks this season. When the idea of coming to New York was discussed with this guard, he made it clear that he wasn’t interested in playing in the club’s triangle offense, according to sources.

 

"He didn’t think it would work for him," one source said.

That could be dismissed as one player’s opinion, of course. But he’s probably not the only one who feels this way about the triangle.

Some in the Knicks' organization feared that the negative perception of their offense hurt them in free agency.

Does that perception change now that Jeff Hornacek is here?

"He’s got a creative offensive mind," one Eastern Conference executive said. "And he’s a good communicator. He should help them."

Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect Hornacek to cure all the perception issues surrounding the Knicks. He can’t change the fact that the club is coming off of a 32-win season.

But Hornacek did say a few things during his introductory interviews that might alter the way players think about the Knicks’ offense:

• He plans to use the triangle offense as a way to space his team in half-court sets, just as other coaches have. But he will blend elements of the offense he ran with the Suns into his approach with the Knicks.

• He might tweak the offense by implementing more pick-and-roll and 3-point shooting.

• Ideally, he’d like to increase the Knicks’ overall pace.

• He has also received assurances from team president Phil Jackson that he can use any of the plays he ran in Phoenix out of the triangle alignment.

One of the most important things Hornacek said Friday, though, wasn’t about the intricacies of the triangle or how he might tweak it.

It was about how he plans to talk to his players about the offense. He discussed his approach in an interview on ESPN 98.7 FM’s "The Michael Kay Show":

 

"I think it’s just maybe a different way to explain [it] to them and maybe show them a little bit more how it isn’t very different than other setups," Hornacek said. "That’s part of the plan I have to come here; when I meet with the players, I’m going to show [them] all this stuff and explain it the way I look at it and how [the triangle] isn’t a lot different, and that we can do a lot of different things.

"There are still a lot of aspects of the triangle that you’re going to use. It’s great to use actually. It’s really not that complicated, I don’t believe. And I think the way we explain to the players, they’ll understand that and -- mixed in with a lot of the stuff [we] did with Phoenix -- I think they’ll enjoy it."

 

'Enjoy' probably isn’t a word that some of the Knicks would use to describe their experience on offense over the past two seasons. The club ranked in the bottom five in points per possession during that span and won a total of 49 games. According to sources with knowledge of the dynamic, several Knicks aren’t enamored with the triangle and are excited about the prospect of Hornacek tweaking the offense.

 

Both Carmelo Anthony and Jose Calderon echoed those thoughts in recent interviews. (It's worth noting that the triangle remains a focus for the Knicks during their workouts with college players.)

 

None of this is to suggest that the triangle offense can’t work in today’s NBA. The biggest issue for the Knicks over the past two years has been a talent gap, not a faulty offensive approach.

 

But there was a negative perception of the triangle around the NBA last season -- both inside the Knicks’ locker room and in the minds of other players. That’s a problem, and it’s one Jeff Hornacek might be able to fix.

[Mad Damian]

Jeff made a decision he's going to regret taking the Knicks job.

[Guiness]

A Rose in the Garden? Knicks reportedly talking Derrick Rose trade

By Dan Devine June 17, 2016 5:29 PM Ball Don't Lie

 

The point guard position was a bit of a weak spot for the New York Knicks last season. Well, that'd be a charitable way to put it, anyway. Another would be: the Knicks' point guards got totally and completely outproduced on a nightly basis last season, with starter Jose Calderon unable to break down opponents off the dribble or stay in front of them on defense, and young backups Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant unable to consistently hit jumpers or facilitate in the Knicks' triangle half-court offense. The Knicks added former Memphis and Philadelphia live wire Tony Wroten last year, but he'll be coming off a torn ACL and has yet to establish himself as a consistent top-flight answer.

 

 

Despite Chauncey Billups' insistence that no top triggerman will want to work in the triangle, and president of basketball operations Phil Jackson's insistence that he won't chase one, with new head coach Jeff Hornacek looking at add some punch to an attack that ranked 26th among 30 NBA teams in points scored per possession last season, New York finds itself in need of a point guard.

"If we can find a middle guy to bridge [Calderon and Grant], it would be good," Hornacek said earlier this month, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. "There’s a lot of guys out there. I’m sure Phil and Steve [Mills, general manager] are looking at everything.’’

It appears some in the organization would like to start with perhaps the most famous name that might be available, according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York:

Begley's report comes on the heels of a note from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that claimed the Bulls are "actively open to moving Rose" this summer:The Bulls' interest in trading Rose, 27, is unknown at this point. The Knicks do not have many strong trade chips outside of Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and future first-round draft picks.The Knicks have had internal discussions recently about trading for Rose, league sources tell ESPN.The New York Knicks are looking to upgrade their backcourt, and one player on their radar is Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

Rose is entering the final year of his deal and has commented numerous times on the ballooning salary cap and his next contract, much to the dismay of the Bulls front office and a large number of Bulls fans. Add that to an on-again, off-again intensity and there is a sense that both sides would welcome a change, especially with Rose entering a free agent year.

At this point, it’s unclear which teams (if anyone) has made a real offer for Rose, especially given his $21.3 million salary. But it was said a few times that the name being talked about most among teams and scouts in Italy was not [All-Star Jimmy] Butler, but rather Rose and there is a sense that a team that misses on a starting-caliber point guard in free agency may turn to the Bulls.

It also comes after the Bulls on Friday made a trade with the Detroit Pistons, adding to their backcourt mix by picking up young guard Spencer Dinwiddie in exchange for young big man Cameron Bairstow.

On one hand, giving up anything of value for to pay $21.3 million for a player who has missed 196 games over the last four years due to various injuries, who averaged a relatively pedestrian 16.4 points and 4.7 assists in 31.8 minutes per game, who shot under 43 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range, who didn't exactly cover himself in glory on the defensive end, and in whose minutes Chicago generally performed worse than when he was on the bench, doesn't seem to make very much sense. On the other, "relatively pedestrian" probably still would've made Rose the Knicks' best on-ball option last season, and likely by leaps and bounds.

With only one year left on his deal, you can see the argument for taking a flyer on the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player as a means of bridging the gap to the summer of 2017, when a Knicks club flush with cap space — especially in an environment where the cap just seems set to keep going up and up over the next couple of seasons — might be able to go big-game hunting for the long-hoped-for point guard of the future to pair with rising star Kristaps Porzingis. With the Memphis Grizzlies' Mike Conley standing as the pick of the free-agent litter and relatively few appealing options beneath him — it seems extraordinarily unlikely that Jeremy Lin's coming back for Round 2 in the Garden; I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Deron Williams wants no part of a return to Gotham; a Rajon Rondo marriage doesn't seem like a "good look" for either party — the Knicks' best chance at landing a better present-day option without sacrificing future flexibility might be to pursue a high-priced veteran on an expiring contract. Rose is just that.

From the Bulls' perspective, moving on from Rose would mean closing the book on an era that produced some of the best regular-season basketball in the franchise's post-Michael Jordan age, but that always ended short of a return to the promised land, thanks in large part to the injuries that derailed Rose's rise to the ranks of the league's most unguardable thunderbolts, and turned him, even at just 27 years old, into a never-quite-right whisper of a rumor of what once was and might have been. Luol Deng's long gone. Tom Thibodeau is, too. Joakim Noah will likely be next. Whatever the next competitive iteration of the Bulls is, it likely won't feature Derrick Rose ... so if you can move him while there's still some value to be derived from his status and contract, and maybe pick up a future pick for your trouble, there's some sense to that. Then again, as Seth Rosenthal of Knicks blog Posting and Toasting notes, the Knicks might be the ones demanding draft consideration if they're doing Chicago the solid of taking $21.3 million in salary off their hands.

It is worth noting, as Bulls radio play-by-play man Chuck Swirsky does, that "internal discussions" don't necessarily amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world:

I'd like to report I've had internal discussions over what to have for dinner tonight .Whatever .

— chuck swirsky (@ctsbulls) June 17, 2016

... but rumblings about the Bulls' summertime plans starting to grow louder, the Knicks likely searching for an upgrade at the point, and New York forever so, so thirsty for the next big name who just might fix everything!, it's at the very least a situation that bears watching as we move through next Thursday's NBA draft to the beginning of free agency in July.

[*badass*]

a triumvirate of carmelo, porzingis and rose? pwede but honestly, i don't think the trio would make the knicks instant contenders.

[bughaw1]

Wow...ang lakas bigla. Nice addition si rose.

[rooster69ph]

Malakas sila pag a healthy DRose. Ang problema these past years laging injured.

[bangad]

ayos, potential contender sa ECF ang knicks provided drose and melo both healthy. jeff teague nasa pacers na

[Guiness]

it's final Derrick Rose is a NEW YORK KNICK

 

Hometown Bulls send Derrick Rose to Knicks in multiplayer swap

ESPN.com news services

12:21 PM CT

 

The Knicks acquired Derrick Rose from the Bulls on Wednesday, hoping the former NBA MVP can be their answer at point guard.

New York traded center Robin Lopez, guard Jose Calderon and guard Jerian Grant to Chicago, which shipped guard Justin Holiday, Rose and a 2017 second-round pick back to the Knicks.

A Chicago native, Rose was drafted by the Bulls with the No. 1 overall pick out of Memphis in 2008. A source close to Rose said he was very emotional about leaving Chicago because of all his great memories there but that he wanted the big stage of New York.

 

Once Rose got word the Bulls were looking to trade him, the source said, he hoped it would be to the Knicks.

"His first choice was New York," the source said. "He wants the spotlight."

Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf called the trade a "hard one" to make.

"Everyone knows him as the local kid who became MVP for his hometown team, but not everyone got to know him like I did," Reinsdorf said in a statement. "While he is a terrific basketball player, he is an even better person with a tremendous heart."

ESPN reported last week that the Knicks had internal discussions recently about trading for Rose. Both Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek and general manager Steve Mills had said that the team was interested in upgrading its point-guard position in the offseason.

End of An Era for Rose in Chicago

• 1st overall pick in 2008 NBA draft

• 2008-09 Rookie of the Year

• 2010-11 NBA MVP

• 1 conference finals appearance (lost to Heat in 2011)

• Signed 5-yr/$94M extension in Dec. 2011

• Tore ACL in 2012 first round vs. 76ers

• Missed entire 2012-13 season; played 10 games in 2013-14

• Played in 39 percent of possible games since 2012-13 season

-- ESPN Stats & Information

 

Rose has battled injuries since he was named NBA MVP in the 2010-11 season. However, he did show improvement in 2016, averaging 17.7 points (including 8.4 in the paint), 45.3 percent shooting from the field and 55.3 percent shooting on drives to the basket during the new year. That should help the Knicks, whose starting point guards averaged a league-low 7.6 points per game in 2015-16 and shot just 44.7 percent on drives to the hoop.

 

"This is an exciting day for New York and our fans," Hornacek said in a statement. "Derrick is one of the top point guards in the NBA who is playoff-battle-tested. He adds a whole new dynamic to our roster and immediately elevates our backcourt."

Rose, 27, is owed $21.3 million in the final year of his contract. He will be a free agent after the 2016-17 season.

A six-year veteran, Rose seemed like the perfect fit for Chicago after it drafted him.

 

He led the Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference in the 2010-11 regular season, leading the franchise to success it hadn't enjoyed since the Michael Jordan era. But he wrecked his knee for the first time in the playoffs the following year, and since then, he hasn't had the speed that once made him one of the league's most dazzling young stars and a seemingly perennial All-Star.

Rose In Decline

A look at Derrick Rose's performance in the four years after he was drafted and since shows numbers that have dropped off.

1st 4 Yrs Since PPG 21.0 16.9 FG pct 46.4 41.2 APG 6.8 4.8 Pct games played 89.4 38.7 -- ESPN Stats & Information

 

Rose hasn't been back to the All-Star Game since 2012 and has often had trouble just playing in the real games. He sat out all of the 2012-13 season, made it back for 10 games in 2013-14 and appeared in a little more than half the Bulls' games in 2014-15.

But he did play in 66 games last season, his most in five years, and averaged 16.4 points.

A source said Knicks star Carmelo Anthony reached out to Rose's camp in the days leading up to the trade but the sides were unable to connect.

 

Lopez, an eight-year veteran, started all 82 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.57 blocks.

Calderon, another NBA veteran, started 72 games in 2015-16, posting averages of 7.6 points and 4.2 assists.

Grant was selected 19th overall out of Notre Dame in the 2015 NBA draft. He played in 76 games as a rookie, averaging 5.6 points and 2.3 assists, which ranked eighth among first-year players.

 

Lopez ($13.5 million), Calderon ($7.7M) and Grant ($1.6M) are owed a total of $22.8 million next season. Trading all three players cleared up more than $13 million in guaranteed money from the Knicks' books for the summer of 2017.

 

The Knicks will need to replace Lopez this offseason, and some members of the organization would like to target Bulls center Joakim Noah, sources say. Noah is close with Rose and also has a good relationship with Anthony.

Another potential option for New York is free-agent center Dwight Howard. The Knicks are one of several teams that Howard would consider in free agency, league sources say, but their interest in Howard is unclear at this point.

The club will have at least $30 million to spend in free agency.

 

Bulls general manager Gar Forman said the club was eager to add Lopez, who he said adds "toughness" to Chicago's roster.

"As we said at the end of last season, we are committed to exploring every option to improve this team," Forman said. "This trade is a significant step in that process. Our goal is to get younger and more athletic, and this trade moves us in that direction and allows us to start changing the structure of our team. In Robin Lopez, we are acquiring a starting center who is a good defender, good rebounder, and brings a toughness to our team. Jose Calderon is a proven veteran who can run an offense and knock down threes. Jerian Grant was high on our draft board last year as someone with a great skill set and positional size. All three players are great teammates and have tremendous work ethic, and we are excited to welcome them to the Chicago Bulls organization."

The Knicks will have a news conference Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

The Chicago Tribune first reported the deal.

 

Information from ESPN's Chris Broussard, Ian Begley, Marc Stein and The Associated Press was used in this report.

[Guiness]

Dwight Howard Interested In Signing With Knicks


Jun 22, 2016 2:44 PM

Dwight Howard has interest in signing with the New York Knicks.

The Knicks are expected to have at least $30 million in cap space this summer.

Last offseason, the Knicks signed Robin Lopez to a four-year contract and he had a productive season.

The Knicks' top priorities this offseason have been their backcourt and it is unclear what level of interest they would have in signing Howard.


NBA Rumors: With Derrick Rose On Board, Knicks After Joakim Noah


The New York Knicks just traded their old starting center for their new starting point guard, so it seems they’re in the market for a big man. Considering the relationship (and wins) Derrick Rose had with former Chicago Bulls teammate Joakim Noah, he would seem to be a natural fit to join the former MVP at Madison Square Garden. Accordingly, the Knicks seem to be interested. “With Derrick Rose on board, some in the Knicks organization want to make a run at Bulls center — and soon to be free agent — Joakim Noah, sources say,”

ESPN New York’s Ian Begley wrote Wednesday. “Noah is close with Rose and has a good relationship with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. He also grew up in New York. The Knicks sent center Robin Lopez to Chicago in the Rose deal and are in need of a big man. They will have at least $30 million to spend in free agency this summer. … It is unclear what kind of offer Noah is looking for. Other outlets have reported that the Knicks are interested in Noah.

The trade for Rose on Wednesday only bolstered that interest for some in the organization.” Letting Noah protect the basket and provide a tinge of inside scoring while Kristaps Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony and Rose stretch the floor makes for a lethal combination and a much better team than the Knicks previously had.

[Guiness]

Knicks president Phil Jackson told Derrick Rose that he’s going after Kevin Durant next

Frank Isola

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Updated: Friday, June 24, 2016, 1:31 AM

Derrick Rose was never big on playing free agent pitchman for the Chicago Bulls, whether the target was LeBron James all the way back in 2010 or Carmelo Anthony two summers ago.

But Phil Jackson believes that by acquiring the former MVP point guard for one starter, a rookie and a veteran with an expiring contract, the Knicks enhanced their bid to land the biggest free agent on the market, Kevin Durant.

 

According to a source, Jackson told Rose of his plan to pursue Durant starting on July 1st. That in and of itself may be the worst-kept secret in the NBA, along with the notion that Golden State, San Antonio, Miami and both Los Angeles clubs are also planning to recruit Durant.

The difference now, however, is that the Knicks are not only selling Durant on Madison Square Garden and Madison Ave., but also a roster that features a triangle we can all understand: Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Rose, who turns 28 in October.

 

Jax takes calculated gamble but Rose has more to lose than Knicks

It’s a long-shot, of course. Staying in Oklahoma City or even signing with the Warriors or Spurs is a better basketball option for Durant. That’s assuming Durant is true to his word that when he signs next month it will strictly be a “basketball decision.”

 

But the Knicks acquisition of Rose does harken back to the Knicks old way of conducting business: Get the big name, make a splash.

Or have you already forgotten Steve Francis, Baron Davis and to some extent, Amare Stoudemire?

Three different front offices, same business model.

 

It also marks a dramatic philosophical 180 for Jackson, the Knicks president who in March went to great lengths to tell reporters that he doesn’t really want or need a ball dominant point guard.

 

And we’re not kidding about great length. Phil’s answer to the point guard question rambled on for just over four minutes and included names like Kyle Macy, Steve Colter and Sam Vincent. Google them if you’d like.

 

“Chasing a point guard, where it becomes just an obsession, isn’t necessary,” Phil said three months ago in L.A. “It’s not necessary. We can play the game without that.”

 

So why Rose, a classic scoring point guard who excels in pick and rolls and isolation?

 

This is all about adding a star to add a bigger star, Durant. This has been the Knicks way for years. And other than Amare helping the Knicks land Carmelo and Carmelo helping to land Jason Kidd, this plan has backfired.

 

But when the prize is Durant and Jackson’s legacy is on the line, the allure of a championship run is too enticing to reject.

The key will be whether Phil has a Plan B. If not Durant, what next? You want to believe Phil has thought this one through, unlike his clumsy coaching search that produced a guy in Jeff Horn ack who doesn’t run the triangle and didn’t have a history with Phil. (Up until a month ago, those were Phil’s prerequisites for the job.)

So if you’re counting, that makes two dramatic philosophical changes in five weeks. Phil can make you dizzy.

 

“We have priorities, backups, secondaries, fall backs,” Jackson said on Thursday.

 

The Knicks have plenty of open roster spots and starting jobs available: center and shooting guard. And considering Rose’s medical history, the Knicks would be wise to invest in a pretty good backup point guard. Sadly, Jose Calderon would have been perfect.

Joakim Noah is the type of hard working, selfless player that you’d like. But Noah, like Rose, is breaking down. It’s risky to have two question marks in your starting lineup.

The alternative would be Dwight Howard. Laugh all you want, but you tell me Dwight isn’t the quintessential Knick — big name, big splash.

 

And like Stevie Francis before him, Dwight also has stops in Orlando and Houston on his resume. Admit it, you feel it happening all over again.

 

Phil Jackson turns 71 in September and has zero playoffs on his resume as an executive. His claim to fame as a Knicks president includes the worst season in franchise history and Porzingis.

One is pretty awful. The other is very promising. But Phil can’t wait around forever for Porzingis to become the hybrid of Durant and Dirk Nowitzki.

We all know the only thing bigger than Phil’s bank account is his ego. He wants to make the playoffs before he rides off into the sunset. A healthy Derrick Rose helps. Landing Durant is a game changer.

 

That’s what Phil Jackson sees. Hey, knock yourself out. Make it happen.

But he’d better have a good back-up plan.

Edited June 24, 2016 by hahnz

[azraelmd]

About f$&@ing time for my favorite team....

 

Rose

Alfalo

Melo

Porzingis

Dwight!

[Guiness]

About f$&@ing time for my favorite team....

 

Rose

Alfalo

Melo

Porzingis

Dwight!

 

i wouldn't break out the bubbly just yet. Derrick Rose is the only move they have done up to this point. As far as Afflalo is concerned, he declined the player option for this season so he's a free agent right now. Now sure if the Knicks will give him an offer. They only have 5 players under contract, they gotta fill out the rest of their roster. Dwight Howard did say that he considers the Knicks as an option to play for, although from what i read, the Knicks aren't saying anything as far as showing any interest in his services so i'm not sure if they are going to make him an offer but he is available so he can be considered an option. With the departure of Lopez they are looking to get a big man in free agency, There's a bunch of free agents that the Knicks are interested in based on reports. Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah. Of course, the big name free agent that's available is Kevin Durant and it has been reported that Phil is planning to speak with him to get him to possibly sign with the Knicks. It would be a Hail Mary miracle if he decides to sign with the Knicks, because there are a lot of teams that are in better situations as far as contending for championships than where the Knicks are right now, Of course OKC is at the top of that list, the Spurs, Warriors, Miami, Lakers among those teams that are interested.

 

So i'm just waiting right now on what kind of moves Phil Jackson is going to make to get the team back in contention

[Guiness]

Derrick Rose Intoduced as a Knick in Press Conference

Ian Begley ESPN Staff Writer

NEW YORK -- Derrick Rose isn't sure why he was traded, but he said he is grateful that the Chicago Bulls sent him to the New York Knicks.

"I would like to tell them, 'Thank you,'" Rose said of the Bulls at Friday's news conference introducing him as the newest member of the Knicks.

 

Rose, a Chicago native, elaborated on why he'd thank the Bulls for trading him to New York.

 

"Getting me another start," said Rose, who played seven seasons in Chicago, missing the 2012-13 season due to injury. "I'm grateful to be where I'm at. I could have been anywhere. Not saying all the other teams are bad places, but to be in this market, to be in the city [with] the legacy, the history of basketball. ... I'm grateful. I'm grateful to be here. I feel like they're going to appreciate me a little bit more."

 

The Knicks sent center Robin Lopez and guards Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon to Chicago on Wednesday in exchange for guard Justin Holiday, Rose and a 2017 second-round pick.

Rose is entering the final year of his contract, which is worth $21.3 million. He said he's hopeful that he can re-sign with the Knicks after the 2016-17 season.

 

"I hope so. With all of the attention and all of the congratulations I got, I hope I'll be able to play the rest of my career here," Rose said. "But like I said, this is a business. I'll guess we'll have to see how this one year goes. But I'm putting my all into this. I'm working my butt off as far as my work ethic, and we'll have to see."

 

Rose alienated some around the league when he said before the 2015-16 season that he was preparing for free agency in 2017. On Friday, he downplayed the idea that he'd be motivated by free agency in the coming season.

 

"This time I'm just being patient, taking all this in," he said. "I feel like something special is going to happen. I really don't know when. But I feel like something special is going to happen with all the hard work I did."

 

In a first-person essay written on The Cycle, Rose said he had no ill will toward the Bulls for the trade, but would use it as motivation. He wrote that the trade was "a blessing."

"I understand that this is a business and the Bulls have their plans, their own ideas with what direction they want to go with the team, but I'm gonna use this as motivation," Rose wrote. "I was with them for eight years and they let me go. There's no hard feelings, no grudges. They're trying to do what's best for the team. I totally understand that. But I don't think I would be wrong for using this as motivation."

 

Rose, who has played in just 39 percent of possible games since the start of the 2012-13 season, said at his news conference that he's feeling healthy entering the offseason. He said he hopes to continue to regain his rhythm, something he said started to return during the 2015-16 season.

 

"I felt like my body held up," he said. "This summer is all about conditioning and catching that rhythm. ... As far as putting expectations or trying to see how many games I'll play, there's no point in doing that. I don't want to jinx myself."

 

Rose added that he might get involved in recruiting free agents to New York, something he shied away from while in Chicago.

One player he'd like to play with is longtime Bulls teammate Joakim Noah, who will be a free agent this summer.

"Oh, I want him," Rose said. "He knows that I want to play with him."

The Knicks will have approximately $30 million to spend in free agency this summer. They hope to find a center in the offseason to fill the void left by Lopez, and Noah will certainly be an option.

Sources say the Knicks will be one of the teams Noah considers in free agency.

Rose also addressed on Friday the difficulty associated with being traded from his hometown. Rose led the Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference in 2010-2011, when he won the league's MVP award.

 

At the time, the former No. 1 pick seemed destined to be the face of the franchise for years to come. But Rose suffered an ACL tear in the playoffs the following season and has had trouble staying healthy over long stretches since that injury.

"It was just an emotional time for me. Chicago was more than just a home. It groomed me into the man that I am today. All my family and friends are back there. It's one of the reasons why I changed my number to 25," Rose, who wore No. 1 with the Bulls, said of his new number. "I'm playing in New York, but I'm bringing something from Chicago with me out here."

Rose added that he's incredibly motivated to return to the playoffs and share the court with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, whom he praised as a skilled, unselfish young talent.

 

"That's somebody I would die to play with, and now I got two of those guys and whoever the front office puts around us," Rose said. "I know they're going to do the right thing. So it's exciting here. It should be exciting here next year."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU76Ij465H4

[guayaboso]

hopefully they get a healthy version, definetely his best years are behind him but if he can be the PG that can squeeZe the greatness from KP6, thats be awesome. hope NYK can get a solid and consistent bench, the bench from last year was promising especially in defense, but everything went to the drain on their consistency. Hopefully coach Jeff can male this team run, mmade more suited to the players' strengths and KP6 develops into a monster of a player in his second year.

[Guiness]

Joakim Noah’s Knicks momentum keeps building

By Marc Berman

June 27, 2016

 

 

The positive feelings between Joakim Noah and the Knicks are mutual.

According to an NBA source, the Knicks have “a very high interest” in signing Noah to play center in a frontcourt that would feature Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. Another NBA source said Noah is eager for at least a sitdown with the Knicks.

The Knicks traded last season’s starting center, Robin Lopez, in the deal that brought back Derrick Rose.

 

As The Post reported, Noah, a New York City product, was in town over the weekend and went clubbing with Rose on Thursday night. Rose confirmed at his press conference Friday he was already in the process of recruiting Noah.

 

A report the Wizards were planning to offer Noah the max was shot down, but they should have interest. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday money isn’t the No. 1 priority for Noah. The newspaper cited three factors: a chance to win, a chance to start and finish games and joining a club that would get behind his Noah’s Arc Foundation. The report stated it would be “naive” to think Noah would just go for the highest offer.

 

That’s good news for the Knicks. They have approximately $30 million in cap space — factoring in three cap holds for their own choice free agents — and still need to spend on a starting shooting guard.

 

The Knicks also could face opposition from Minnesota, where former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau runs the show. The Bulls are not believed to be in the picture, though they have requested a meeting with Noah.

 

“Oh, I want him. He knows that. I think his family knows that. I think everybody knows that,” Rose said at his press conference.

“Even last night, I was talking to him about it. He’s in a position where he got injured twice last year, it was his contract year and he has to figure out what he wants to do. I can’t get mad with the decision he makes soon. He knows I would want to play with him.”

The Knicks don’t have a meeting set up with Kevin Durant, who will be with Carmelo Anthony at a press conference Monday to announce the US Olympic Team. Durant has spent the past several days in New York, where his Roc Nation agency is based.

 

The Vertical reported six teams — Warriors, Heat, Celtics, Clippers, Spurs and Thunder — will meet with Durant on July 1. Durant won’t even meet with the Wizards, his hometown team. On Sunday, the Oklahoman listed the top eight contenders for Durant and the Knicks were missing from the list.