New York Knicks: Derrick Rose Wants To Spend The Rest Of His Career In NY

New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose hopes to spend the rest of his NBA career playing home games at Madison Square Garden.

Phil Jackson made one of the most heavily ridiculed and scrutinized moves in franchise history when he traded for point guard Derrick Rose. Jackson looked past the extensive injury concerns and valued the move as one that creates a window of opportunity.

If future contract negotiations work out the way that Rose is hoping, that window will remain open until he retires.

Rose spent the first eight years and seven seasons of his NBA career with his hometown Chicago Bulls. He was unceremoniously traded this past offseason to a Knicks team that was in dire need of athleticism and slashing.

According to Peter Walsh of SLAM Online, Rose is hoping to spend the rest of his NBA career with the Knicks.

Finding out how we’re going to win games, we got 10 new people on the team—it’s not like they had a foundation here and we came right into it. We’re building the culture. We’re building the foundation now. I’m under a one-year contract so of course I want to play the rest of my life here. But it takes time, it takes patience to figure out how every one is going to fit, if it is going to fit and going from there.

This comes on the heels of a report that New York is considering re-signing Rose to a mid-season extension.

Rose has stressed how important it is for him to find stability for not only himself, but his son. Any long-term contract would create continuity, but re-signing with the Knicks would enable Rose to avoid having to pack up and move all over again.

If Rose continues to perform as well as he has, Jackson and the Knicks may be inclined to re-sign him.

Rose is currently averaging 16.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game on 43.7 percent shooting from the field. He’s averaging 17.3 points per game over his past 10 appearances and recently scored 30 points against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bigger than the numbers is the explosiveness and confidence that Rose is playing with, as well as what he provides the Knicks with.

Rose’s speed, agility, and uncanny ability to glide through the air has left crowds in awe and defenders in the dust. His ability to create penetration has helped New York avoid the extensive cold stretches that plagued it in 2015-16.

For all that he’s endured from an injury perspective, Rose is currently No. 6 in the NBA in points via drives per game.

Rose will need to show steady improvement as the season progresses, but he’s beginning to set himself up for a future in New York.