This is all new for Derrick Rose, a role he has never experienced before.
“I’m in the unknown, trying to stay focused, give my all every day, talking to the guys, being vocal like I said earlier on in the year,” he said on Thursday after practice. “Trying to communicate to them what I see on the floor, but yeah, this is new — foreign — for me.”
The 34-year-old guard is averaging just 12.7 minutes, occasionally watching the entire second half from the bench. After appearing in just 26 games last year due to multiple ankle surgeries, it is a difficult way to regain his rhythm.
“Just got to stay ready, find a way to stay ready,” said Rose, who is averaging six points on 38.2 percent shooting and two assists. “It’s like everything, forcing me to evolve into who knows, what knows? But I always take it as a challenge where I’ve just got to find a way to stay ready.”
After the offseason signing of Jalen Brunson, Rose’s minutes were expected to come down, but perhaps not by this much. Rose said he and Tom Thibodeau haven’t specifically spoken about it, though they talk frequently, the coach said. Rose doesn’t want to be that veteran complaining about playing time. Thibodeau attributed part of the limited minutes to Brunson’s presence on the roster, and Rose trying to find his game after missing so much time last year.
Derrick Rose is seeing reduced minutes from the Knicks bench. USA TODAY Sports“I think the role that he’s in, it’ll work itself out,” Thibodeau said. “Some games it’ll be more, some games it’ll maybe less.”
Quentin Grimes (sore left foot) practiced fully on Thursday after returning to action on Wednesday. The second-year guard said the foot feels fine after some discomfort returned over the weekend, costing him two games. Grimes only played four minutes of garbage time in the loss to the Nets.
Grimes hasn’t seen the court much due to the injury, missing almost the entire preseason and the first six regular-season games after shining during the Las Vegas Summer League. He has had two MRIs, which both showed only inflammation.
“I feel like right now I’m in a really good place with it,” Grimes said.
Plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes pain on the bottom of the heel, has been ruled out, he said.
