Why The New York Knicks Will Re-sign Derrick Rose

The New York Knicks will have to decide whether they want to renew their partnership with Derrick Rose, who has been stellar in his first year with the team.

In a point guard driven league, the New York Knicks have fallen to the back of the pack. The last star point guard that New York had was an over-the-hill 40 year-old, Jason Kidd, during the 2012-13 season.

Outside of the future Hall of Famer, players like Raymond Felton, Jose Calderon, Pablo Prigioni and Shane Larkin have attempted to run the point for New York. Needless to say, those players underperformed during their time in the “Big Apple.”

This past offseason, Phil Jackson tried to solidify that position. The day before the NBA Draft, New York sent Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Calderon to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Rose, Justin Holiday and a second round draft pick.

Rose is in the final season of a five-year, $94.3 million contract extension he signed with Chicago.

The former Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player is having a rollercoaster season with the Knicks. He is on pace to miss the least amount of games in a season since his 2011-12 campaign. He has only missed nine games this year.

One of those games was when he went missing in action and returned home to Chicago. That may or may not have been in response to the fourth quarter benching for lackluster effort on defense. The defensive end of the court has been an issue for Rose all year.

All that said, the Knicks can and should re-sign him. Here are three reasons why:

His Explosive Scoring

Explosiveness was the mantra for Rose’s MVP season. Since that point, injuries had stripped him of that explosiveness and left the world wondering if he would ever reclaim it. The 6-3, 190 pound point guard has shown that he was able to do just that this season.

Rose is currently averaging 17.9 points per game. That is his highest average since injuries caused him to miss the entire 2012-13 season.

The three-time All-Star has always been considered a high turnover guy throughout his career. The 2.4 that he is averaging so far this year would be a career low.

His explosiveness is also getting him to the free-throw line — at least lately it has. In his last five games, he is getting to the line an average of 8.6 times per game. In the 50 games prior, he was only averaging 3.9 attempts per contest. His 86.6 free throw percentage this season is a career-high.

His ability to attack the basket makes him dangerous on offense. If he routinely got the whistle from the refs when he drove, he would be unstoppable.

Alternative Options

If not Rose, then who? The Knicks will more than likely address the position in the upcoming draft, but that will depend on how the lottery balls bounce. Even if they do, they may still want to acquire a veteran in free agency.

On paper, this free agency could be considered the year of the point guard. Players like Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague and Rose will either be free agents or have a player option that they can decline in order to become free agents.

The problem is that as good as the list looks on paper, it is only a mirage.

Curry and Lowry are currently leaders of two championship-contending teams. The only reason they would opt out of their current deals would be to sign a longer and more expensive contract with those same teams. Paul has all but signed a $200 million extension with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Even Teague and Holiday may end up re-signing with their current teams. Those clubs can offer the most money and the all-important fifth year. The New York Knicks will re-sign Derrick Rose because, quite frankly, they may not have any other options.

The Melo and Zen Master Factor

New York would not be inclined to re-sign Rose if they were committed to a true rebuild. The problem is that they have not shown the ability to do that properly.

Carmelo Anthony was given a no-trade clause and, by his own account, has no plans on waiving it. Since he has no plans on waiving it, the Knicks will continue to build around him instead of the future.

The other issue is Phil Jackson. The “Zen Master” is not one to give up on something he believes in. We all know a certain shape that he has tried to shove down everyone’s throat.

He is not easily persuaded to change something he views as right. His stubbornness may result in a contract for Rose.

If all three of these reasons play out, it would be hard to envision Rose starting 2017-18 in any other city.