Rose: 'Nobody knows' how Knicks will play
Ignorance is bliss.
Derrick Rose has joined the New York Knicks, and for all his excitement about the upcoming season, he doesn't have the slightest idea how the team will play, or how their game plan will come together - but he's confident it will.
"I don't know what to expect with the team," the 27-year-old told SLAM's Drew Ruiz. "I'm expecting something good but I don't know, really, like, in detail what to expect. Am I going to run pick-and-roll with (Kristaps Porzingis)? Am I going to run it with (Carmelo Anthony)? If Melo has the ball, am I going to come off and set a ramp of picks coming down the court?
"Like, I don't know how we're going to play and the style we're going to play. I think we're going to play an uptempo-type pace and probably use the Triangle here and there. But right now, nobody knows."
Related: Rose doubles down on claim that Knicks are a superteam
Asked again about his rather peculiar decision to call the Knicks a "superteam," Rose stood firm on his stance.
"We got a great team - why couldn't we be a superteam and why not label us a superteam?" he asked. "It's always different when I say stuff, so I think it rubs people wrong 'cause of my confidence or whatever. And 82 games - I said there was a chance that we can win 82 games. It's not that we're going to win 82 games."
The former league MVP continued, saying, "Now that I'm on a better team, it's like, alright, when we're stepping on the floor we got a legit chance of winning this game tonight. Now we got to go out here and see what's going to happen and find a way."
In addition to the three-time All-Star, New York picked up his longtime Bulls teammate Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings, Marshall Plumlee, Sasha Vujacic, and Guillermo Hernangomez, while also naming Jeff Hornacek its new head coach.
Rose understands that as good as his new squad might be, an adjustment period should be expected.
"It's all about us just coming together quick, jelling quick so that things can be smooth," he said. "But in the beginning it may not be like that. It may be rough, but I think with the guys that we have and the talent that we have on the team, we'll figure it out."
Having left Chicago this offseason - the only NBA city Rose has ever called home - he'll get his first crack against the Bulls early in the 2016-17 campaign, on Nov. 4. The 6-foot-3 point guard discussed the meeting briefly with former teammate Jimmy Butler during a Dodgers game they attended together last week. It's safe to say Rose won't be seeking retribution.
"When I play them, it's not going to be a revenge-type game. I hate playing that way. That's not the way that I'm used to playing, so when I go out there I'm just going to try and win that game," Rose explained.
He's hoping to win enough games to earn a postseason berth with New York this year, after missing out for the first time in his seven-year career.
"This year it's all about making the playoffs and seeing how far we can go," Rose added.