'Who Cares?' Knicks' Derrick Rose at Peace With Smaller Role

Rose is more than comfortable with taking a backseat in Tom Thibodeau's rotation if it keeps the New York Knicks' early rhythm going.

In Derrick Rose's prime, you'd miss him if you blinked, his MVP-worthy skills allowing him to tear through defenses with ease and earn numerous professional accolades at the start of his career. 

It's still hard to see Rose on the court as he sets forth on his 14th NBA campaign, his third full season for the New York Knicks. Alas for Rose ... who has made no secrets about his desire to show off his leaner build ... it's hard to see him on the court because most of his time has been on the bench. 

Of the 10 Knicks that have appeared in the team's first two games, Rose is last among them in minutes, playing 28 in the early going. Forced by the court of public basketball opinion to pay the dreaded Knicks tax ... where the simplest hardwood error is made to be a goof of gargantuan proportions for the sake of a laugh at New York's expense ... Rose will likely face more requests to retire, more nominations for the starting point guard of the "Wait, When Did He Play For the Knicks?!?!" team (though the competition is stiff with Mike Bibby and Chauncey Billups in tow).

Rose, however, is showcasing new skills at age 34: apathy and gratitude. 

Conventional wisdom suggested that Rose's minutes were always destined to shrink. The Knicks were obviously going to take it easy on Rose after he was forced to undergo separate ankle surgeries and the nine-digit arrival of Jalen Brunson could've made him downright expendable. Some may start to wonder why he's not if the Knicks are going to keep him restricted, especially once trade season gets closer. 

But Rose gets it. After all, if any one player in perhaps the NBA's 76-year history understands how one ailment could derail a sterling career, it'd be Rose, whose prime was infamously cut short by a torn ACL sustained at the onset of the 2012 playoffs in Chicago. He's more than happy to partly assume the role of an extra assistant coach until he fully regains his professional footing.

"My job is to just be vocal and try to express what I see on the court," Rose told the New York Post. "As far as minutes, I don’t worry about it because of the saying, ‘if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.’ That’s my mindset.”

Rose has not played 60 games in a single season since 2016-17, his first tour in New York. He sounds more than comfortable with letting that streak continue.

"My job is to push the pace. If not, take me out and put somebody in that can fulfill the job. I’m not worried about minutes, never worried about minutes,” Rose said. “It’s what’s better for the team. It could be (Miles McBride). It could be times that I don’t play. Who cares? As long as we win, I don’t care.”

On that level, it's hard to find flaws with the way the Knicks (1-1) have opened the 2022-23 season: the Memphis Grizzlies needed overtime to fully ensure their demise in Wednesday's opener while the Madison Square Garden ledger opened with a 130-106 blowout win over the Detroit Pistons two nights later. 

To his credit, Rose has made the most of his limited time on the floor: he was among the many depth stars to partake in a Friday showcase that saw them outscore Detroit's reserves 64-22. He scored 13 points in 16 minutes, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor and dishing out assists on six other New York baskets. The Knicks held an astonishing plus-23 advantage when he was on the floor. 

At the end of it all, Rose remarked that games will Friday will be "the worst" that fans see him play this season. 

"I can’t get too high, can’t get too low. Even if things are rolling, this is still is my second game," Rose said when asked why he'd downplay his impact. "I’m not trying to downplay my play but understanding that I still got to get my timing on, my jump shot, still got to get my timing on. I’m working all the time to get my timing. … I’m kind of out of rhythm on certain plays. But it’s going to come the more I play.”

Rose and the Knicks return to action on Monday night at home against the Orlando Magic (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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