The Knicks got “one of the elite players in this league” for Dennis Smith Jr. That’s at least the opinion of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who has a blind spot for Derrick Rose.
Thibodeau said Rose “initially” will leave the bench and is happy to hear her favorite player tell him how great he is.
Using the word “initially” may mean that Elfrid Payton, the Knicks’ starting point guard, must be on the alert if his game does not stay up to standard.
Thibodeau praised Payton’s defense, but now he has one of his all-time favorite players at Rose’s side. Thibodeau trained Rose in Chicago, Minnesota and now in New York.
“He’s obviously someone I’m familiar with,” said Thibodeau before Tuesday’s game in Miami. “We have been through a lot together. But most of it is what I felt he could contribute to our team. I’ve always liked good players. If someone is a good player, I’m interested. And I think it will add a lot to our team. I know your character. I know what kind of teammate he is.
“He will accept any role. You can start it, you can take it off the bench, you can play short minutes, long minutes. He’s telling me that this is as healthy as he is. ”
Asked about Rose’s role, Thibodeau said: “Let’s take a look at him. Initially, he will probably start to leave the bank. I like the way the two groups played. And we’ve been relatively healthy up to this point. So you always have to be prepared. But my job is to make sure the guys who are not in the rotation are now ready. ”
A Pistons source said Rose’s production dropped after about 25 minutes and they kept him on an unofficial minute restriction. But Thibodeau has always had a soft spot, despite knee surgery, by Rose, who won the league’s MVP award in Chicago 10 years ago when she was 22 and Thibodeau was its head coach.
Thibodeau did not want to say that he asked the administration to negotiate with Rose, who settled on Tuesday. Knicks President Leon Rose, who has not spoken publicly since late July, was not available for comment on the deal.
“I think this is part of management’s responsibility to the team,” said Thibodeau. “I think Leon and Wes [William Wesley, senior vice president] and Scott [Perry], they are in constant communication with all the teams in the league, which is part of the business. You talk about a number of possibilities, look at them, the pros and cons, what that could add, but there are several players that have been discussed. I don’t really focus on that. My focus is on the guys we have here. If they think something is good for the team, then obviously, whoever they decide we are going to have is who I will go with. ”
The conundrum is the possibility of Rose, 32, stealing minutes from debuting guard Immanuel Quickley, a fan favorite.
Thibodeau said Rose’s guidance is critical.
“In terms of mentoring, I think it’s critical, ” said Thibodeau. “You are talking about a guy who – he is still one of the biggest contributors to the league in terms of, you look at what he did and achieved, so the fact that he has been a great teammate.
“When you look at how players develop, I mentioned it the other day about the impact that Luol Deng had on Jimmy Butler, when you have the right veterans around young people, I think that’s critical. They helping to teach young people to be professionals and to learn the tricks of trade and professionalism, I think [Quickley] I can’t help learning. ”
Rose did not play in February, as she took time off for “personal reasons”. He was unable to participate in the shootaround because Smith’s physical examination was not completed.
Finding who matches Rose well on the backcourt is a challenge.
“The fact that he is a good player is the most important thing,” said Thibodeau. “He is versatile. He can play with the ball, he can play with the ball – just like many of our players. I think it’s one of the things I like about Quick, I like that about Alec Burks. The versatility; they can play when they are with the ball and when they are out of the ball. Having those guys who are interchangeable. ”
The Heat was supposed to be interested in Rose, so Miami coach Erik Spoelstra thinks the Knicks had a good game.
“This partnership between him and Thibs was very successful, ” said Spoelstra, who saw Rose score 23 points in the Pistons victory over Miami on January 16.“ They are confident that, with new leadership, it helps to have familiar faces to understand the culture and what they’re trying to drive. Derrick is a great player. When he is healthy, he really moves the needle, as we saw when we played with them a few weeks ago. “