Benched Derrick Rose wants to stay and help Knicks: ‘I like winning’

CHICAGO — If the Knicks were losing games, it would be different. Derrick Rose might not be nearly as content to watch.

But since Tom Thibodeau took him out of the rotation, the Knicks haven’t dropped a game, and Rose is happy to see the upward trend of the team even if he’s not directly part of it at the moment.

“If we were losing, probably, [I would think about trade rumors]. But I like winning. I’m a winner,” he said Wednesday before the Knicks beat his old team, the Bulls, 128-120 in overtime at United Center for a fifth straight win. “I like being around a locker room where the vibrations are just winning. And they got [Miles McBride] playing ahead of me. I can’t hate on that young man.”

Rose, in fact, doesn’t want to go elsewhere, even if that meant more playing time.

“I want to stay here,” he said.

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Derrick Rose
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Wednesday was obviously difficult. He was in his hometown, where he was an MVP and the face of the Bulls for several years, didn’t get into the game. After an ugly loss to the Mavericks on Dec. 3, Thibodeau cut his rotation to nine and replaced Rose with McBride, a second-year guard known for his defense. McBride helped the Knicks win four straight, and Rose didn’t get off the bench in that stretch.

“Just trying to figure out how I can add more to the team without being out there,” Rose said. “It’s being more vocal, expressing how I feel. Asking about coverages to help the young guys. Just lead by example.”

Rose was in a contemplative mood, talking about some of his plans for life after basketball. Those include starting a chess league, building a library and going into farming. But that doesn’t mean his mind is anywhere but on basketball now even if he’s not playing much these days.

Thibodeau praised how the 34-year-old has handled the demotion, although the Knicks’ coach didn’t want to use that exact word. He also has made it clear it’s not necessarily permanent. Injuries happen. The rotation has changed several times this year already.

“That’s why I got to keep a rhythm,” Rose, a three-time All-Star, said. “I never want to be in a slump. Or get down just because I’m not playing.”

source: nypost.com