Joakim Noah says Derrick Rose is "OK"

Joakim Noah says Derrick Rose is okay after missing the New York Knicks’ game Monday night, while another report says he’s on his way to Chicago.

When starting point guard Derrick Rose missed Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, team officials reached out to the former MVP and were unable to get a hold of him.

Rose had given the team no prior warning that he’d be late or that he’d be missing the game, and no one seems to know the reason why Rose was absent.

According to starting center and former Chicago Bulls teammate Joakim Noah, Rose is all right.

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According to numerous reports from the New York Knicks media members, Noah has spoken to Rose and he is okay, but the former Defensive Player of the Year would not elaborate on the star point guard’s condition, the reason for his missing the game or what was said in their conversation.

The Knicks lost the game by 14 with Brandon Jennings starting in Rose’s stead, with Anthony Davis leading the way with 40 points and 18 rebounds.

According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, there’s a possibility that Rose went back to his hometown of Chicago:

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This is a very odd story, though The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski might shed some light on the reason for his unexcused absence.

According to Woj, Rose and head coach Jeff Hornacek had been at odds lately, especially with Hornacek playing undrafted third string point guard Ron Baker over Rose in the waning minutes of New York’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks last Friday.

Wojnarowski said their relationship has been “frayed” in recent weeks. He also said outside of team officials, some of Rose’s friends were unable to reach the former MVP.

The 28-year-old Rose is averaging 17.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in 33 appearances for the Knicks this season. He will be a free agent this summer, so depending on the reason for his absence, this could be a potential blow to his value in the eyes of other teams.

Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.