New York Knicks: Assessing Derrick Rose's trade value 3
Jan 27, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose (25) drives against Charlotte Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) and Charlotte Hornets center Roy Hibbert (55) and Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker (15) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks can’t seem to trade Carmelo Anthony, so we assessed the value of another star, Derrick Rose.

Carmelo Anthony poured in 45 points in Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks. It was his fifth game of 30-plus points in the last nine. Fittingly, the New York Knicks are winless during those remarkable performances. Elite Sports NY’s Robby Sabo argued that Anthony wasn’t the problem, but he also wasn’t the answer. Nowhere could that be more evident than in those five games.

I’m sure you’d all love to read another column about why it’s time for Anthony to go, but you’re not so lucky. This isn’t about trading Carmelo Anthony. It’s about trading another one of New York’s stars. More specifically, assessing his value. Here’s a hint: It’s not Kristaps Porzingis.

It won’t be easy to move Derrick Rose. Between injury concerns and the AWOL incident, he comes with some serious baggage. We tend to look at the negative when it comes to New York’s starting point guard. It’s easy to pick apart his flaws because they jump out at you.

However, he has shown occasional glimpses of the player he used to be. He’s still capable of busting out a big performance every once in awhile. Like when he scored 30 points on 13 of 24 shooting in New York’s biggest win of the season on the road against Boston. He picked up the slack with Porzingis out and Anthony having an off night.

As long as this ankle injury remains nothing more than a minor sprain (you never know with Rose) it’s naive to think that there isn’t a single team out there who wouldn’t be in need of his services down the stretch.