New York Knicks: The move for Derrick Rose has paid off, and then some

The acquisition of Derrick Rose has paid off and then some for the New York Knicks.

Earlier this year, when the New York Knicks acquired Derrick Rose, many scoffed at the idea that he would have a drastic impact on the team. However, with just a handful of regular-season games remaining, and with the Knicks on track to host a first-round NBA playoff series, Rose’s impact on the team can no longer be argued.

Before the trade, on Feb 8, the Knicks were 9th in the Eastern Conference standings and three games under .500, at 11-14. Even though the Knicks still had a top 6 defense in the league, their ranked 24th offense was holding this team down. But since Rose has joined the team, the team’s offense has rocketed up the rankings.

Since February 9, the Knicks have had the league’s 13th ranked offense and the second-ranked defense. They’ve also made a jump up the East standings, going 26-14 over that stretch, and are now sitting in the 4th seed.

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Even though it would be unfair to the rest of the team to simply chalk up the team’s recent play to the acquisition of Rose, it would be also unfair to not give him at least some credit.

Since joining the Knicks, Rose is averaging 14 points and four assists on 48 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range in 29 games played. But it’s not just Rose’s production that has given the Knicks a jolt in the right direction.

You’d have to believe that his leadership – both on and off the court – and veteran presence off the bench has given this team an element that they simply didn’t have before the move. Add in the fact that Rose gives this team another voice that can echo what head coach Tom Thibodeau is preaching, and you can see why his value is something that not many outside of the organization could’ve seen coming.

Derrick Rose’s resiliency has helped the New York Knicks

After an up-and-down career thus far, Rose has done a great job in carving a new role for himself during this second half of his tenure in the NBA. It’s actually quite hard to believe that Rose is still just 32 years old. The fact that Rose can come back after reaching stardom and then falling to an extremely low point due to injury after injury is a testament to his toughness and resiliency. It’s impressive, to say the least.

Not every former superstar and MVP is willing to do what Rose had to do to extend his career, but he’s done it and continues to do so at a high level. Rose will never be a superstar in the league again (and he likely knows that), but he’s still proving that he can be an important catalyst to a playoff team.

Rose has evolved into a very important player for the Knicks, and that will certainly be the case in the playoffs. If this team makes it past the first round, you can bet that Rose will have a big hand in that.

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The Knicks are back in the playoff picture, have some swagger, and are one of the biggest stories in the NBA this season. I’m not sure we’d be saying that at this point of the season had this team not made the move for Rose in February.

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