Derrick Rose arrived in Miami on Monday night and said he wants another chance to make the Knicks great again, saying he is “thankful”.
A Knicks Twitter account showed him arriving at Miami airport and stating on video:
“At first I thought it wasn’t going to happen. Much will be negotiated. I am feeling grateful, anxious, but at the same time I know what I must do by coming here. It’s about helping young people, playing as hard as I can and, for example, thanking Thibs [Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau]. ”
Rose will wear No. 4 – the number for Dennis Smith Jr. – because the Knicks already have 25 filled in by Reggie Bullock. Without practice, it does not seem likely that Rose will make her second Knicks debut on Tuesday against the Heat, especially since he did not play this month.
With the switch to Detroit becoming official earlier in the day, Rose, who played for the Knicks for a season in 2016-17 and wanted to sign again, wrote about her excitement on Instagram, reporting a missed opportunity on her first Knicks tour.
“Other hoopers always used to tell me that if I had the chance to play at MECCA, go ahead,” wrote Rose. “I’m having a second chance. … I have to make this count. But I was made for that. What is Pooh written in reverse ???? It’s just in my blood. “
The Knicks did not re-sign with Rose after that season, after Steve Mills took over as chairman of the destitute Phil Jackson. The contempt hurt Rose, according to her 2019 autobiography.
Rose, 32, explained in the book his decision to leave the Knicks after a mid-season game and go home to Chicago without permission, confirming that he had considered retiring at the time.
“When I left Knicks that day in January 2017, it was about that. I just needed to go home, ”wrote Rose. “I went to the crib with my mother. (…) I had decided that I stopped playing. I saw that the same thing that was happening with the Bulls was happening with New York. I could say that the season would not be the season that everyone thought, that I thought. “
The Knicks finished 31-51, but Rose averaged 18 points. Now he is joining Thibodeau for the third time.
Rose’s Instagram post also stated: “Are you still looking for your treasure or are you still happy to work in the crystal shop… This experience called life will always challenge you deeply. Especially if you are trying to master your craft. “