A second kiss from a Rose!
After one season with the Knicks in 2016-17, Derrick Rose is back for more. The team traded Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round draft pick to the Pistons for Rose on Sunday. The former NBA MVP is reunited with head coach Tom Thibodeau, after a successful Bulls run and another stop with the Timberwolves. The Knicks are last in the NBA in scoring, so Rose’s ability to put points on the board, along with his veteran presence, should be a boost for a Knicks team in the thick of the playoff race.
To react to the trade and everything going on with the 11-14 Knicks right now, we present to you another edition of the “Big Apple Buckets” podcast with Sal Licata and former Knicks big man Jerome “The Junk Yard Dog” Williams.
Big Apple Buckets Podcast with Sal & The Junk Yard Dog:
- Derrick Rose is back for his second stint with the Knicks. This is the perfect marriage with Thibs. Rose has accepted a role of coming off the bench and it has fit him well in Minnesota and Detroit.
- Having Rose takes some pressure off guys late in the fourth quarter when the team has had some struggles scoring. Rose will be a good mentor for Immanuel Quickley.
- Having Rose and Taj Gibson, who knows Thibodeau’s coaching style, only going to help the younger players. Shame that the injury hurt his career. Rose vs. LeBron were must-watch playoff matchups. Those Bulls teams consistently were winners.
- Knicks getting closer and closer to 30 wins and a JYD steak dinner for the podcast crew. 11-14 means they would have to go 19-28 in the final 47 games to hit 30, which looks more than doable. Winnable games ahead in the next week against the Heat, Wizards, Rockets and Hawks.
Ed Cohen Interview: Knicks play-by-play announcer on ESPN NY radio
- Interning at WFAN while Sal was working there.
- Experience calling games off a monitor. Had a baby at start of COVID in April.
- Fans sorely missed at the Garden. Quickley would have had them buzzing.
- Rose is a great addition. Detroit was not the right fit. He’s 32 and has some game left. He will have a big role off the bench.
- Calling his first game with Walt “Clyde” Frazier and remembering it vividly, what Clyde said to him, his favorite Clyde saying.
- Humbling road to becoming Knicks play-by-play voice.
- His favorite moment calling a game at MSG.
- Has called everything from basketball to hockey to Japanese baseball. Toughest sport to call in his career.
Marc Berman Interview: NY Post Knicks beat writer
- Rose trade shows the power Thibs has in the organization. He pushed hard for this deal like he did with signing Taj Gibson. Loves having his guys in the locker room. Will take some time and adjustments.
- Quickley said he can’t wait to learn from Rose. Feels they can play together in same backcourt. Austin Rivers will be affected the most.
- Having a few alpha-male players in Rose and Julius Randle. They may have trouble at first, but then get better.
- Will the Knicks trade Elfrid Payton? Can they get anything for him?
- RJ Barrett benched against the Heat in fourth quarter. What happened? Barrett has been terrible shooting late in games.
Catch up on all episodes of “Big Apple Buckets,” a New York Knicks podcast, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the crew on Twitter @sal_licata, @JunkYardDogJW and @JakeBrownRadio. New episodes of the show drop Tuesday afternoons.
