As the New York Knicks gear up to play the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, you could understand if Derrick Rose was nervous, excited and/or hell-bent on sticking it to his former team.
But he is none of those things, at least not visibly, per the New York Post’s Marc Berman:
“I haven’t been thinking about it, man,’’ Rose, who was traded to the Knicks this offseason in a five-player deal, said Tuesday after the Knicks’ morning shootaround at The Palace. “Only when probably it’s game day, I’ll think about it. There’s no bad blood there either. I understand this is a business. They made a business decision. On my end, I just got to stay prepared.”
For the Bulls’ part, they are unlikely to hold a grudge against Rose, either.
Sure, he and Jimmy Butler never meshed particularly well. Yes, part of that’s on him. And no, there’s no way the Bulls have forgotten his many, many injuries, which derailed multiple potential title chases. But none of that matters to them, not anymore, not now.
The new-look Bulls, led by Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade and Butler, have started the season 3-0. They own the best offensive rating in the league, and a top-five defensive rating to boot, according to NBA.com. While it’s still early, and though there remain long-term questions about their spacing, the post-Derrick Rose era looks pretty good on them.
Rose cannot say the same of his post-Bulls era. The Knicks are 1-2, with an offense that’s in disarray and a defense that, well, doesn’t really exist. He and the rest of New York will have to hope that changes on Friday…and beyond.
