Derrick Rose

Proposed new hardship exception may force Knicks to add player

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The New York Knicks are down to nine healthy bodies in the rotation after Immanuel Quickley tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday. Meanwhile, Derrick Rose (sore ankle) is still questionable to play in Saturday’s game in Boston.

The Knicks have yet to add additional players via the hardship exception. But they may be forced to if the NBA Board of Governors’ new proposed plan gets approved.

The NBA Board of Governors convened Friday and they proposed a new plan that would curb the postponement of games, according to an ESPN report. Two Chicago Bulls’ games have already been postponed in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 surge around the league.

Under the new proposed plan, teams would be required to add a 10-day player via the hardship exception after a second, third and fourth COVID-19 case.

In the proposed plan, after the first case of COVID, a team would be permitted to add a 10-day player, league sources said, but after a second, third and fourth case, teams would be required to add a 10-day player. Teams would be limited to three replacement players, but the new plan would, overall, require teams to maintain enough depth so that the league wouldn’t be forced to cancel or postpone games because some teams didn’t have the league-required eight healthy players.

Under the plan, the additional replacement players also wouldn’t count against that respective team’s salary cap or luxury tax, league sources said.

Previously, the hardship exemption was solely under the discretion of the teams. Some teams have already availed. But some, like the Knicks, have yet to use the exception rule. The hardship exemption under the CBA rules allows teams to exceed the 15-man roster limit in times of need (when multiple players are out because of injury or illness).

The league and the National Basketball Players Association still have to agree to the new proposed plan before it takes effect.

If the new plan gets approval, the Knicks would have to add players even if Rose and the first few Knicks under protocols return to the lineup.

Obi Toppin, their first player to test positive, could clear health and safety protocols two days from now. Under the current health and safety protocols guideline, players who test positive should be sidelined for at least 10 days or record two negative COVID-19 tests in a 24-hour period before they can resume basketball activities.

Toppin entered the health and safety protocols last Dec. 10 after their game in Toronto. The infection quickly spread around the team. RJ Barrett, rookie Quentin Grimes, Kevin Knox are the other three Knicks players in the health and safety protocols. At the same time, MSG analyst Clyde Frazier and sideline reporter Rebecca Haarlow also tested positive.

The NBA and NBPA have also agreed to stricter measures amid the spike of COVID-19 cases. On Thursday, the league issued a memorandum that requires players and Tier 1 personnel to wear masks at all times with only two exceptions: during on-court basketball activities for players and head coaches during games.

The league will also ramp up testing during the holidays. From Dec. 26 to Jan. 8, players and staff will be tested on game days except for those who received their booster shot 14-plus days earlier or recently recovered from the virus.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Curry reminds Knicks of what they missed but McBride offers hope

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Knicks Curry McBride

The special night belonged to Stephen Curry.

He broke Ray Allen’s record for the most three-pointers in NBA history, and his Golden State Warriors came away with a 105-96 win over the New York Knicks Tuesday night at the Garden.

But the Knicks could take solace on squeezing another solid performance from one of their recent draft picks.

Miles McBride, the 36th pick of the draft, seized the opportunity to show he belongs and deserves to share the court with Curry. With the Knicks missing three players (RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, and Quentin Grimes) due to health and safety protocols, McBride was Tom Thibodeau’s ninth man in the rotation.

After checking in for Evan Fournier in the final six seconds of the opening quarter, McBride quickly made his presence felt. He opened the second quarter with his first stepback three-pointer.

With some razzle-dazzle dribbling, the 6-foot-1 McBride shook off Damian Lee, then used Mitchell Robinson’s screen to lose his bigger defender. After creating the space, he stepped back to the right corner and avoided Nemanja Bjelica’s closeout.

Six minutes later, he did it again against the Warriors’ defensive stalwart Juan Toscano-Anderson from the right elbow.

Mcbride’s two beautiful stepback three-pointers helped the Knicks build a 46-38 lead before the Warriors stormed back and cut the deficit at the half to a solitary point, 48-47.

Buoyed by his stellar first half, McBride got a longer leash in the final two quarters. The rookie out of West Virginia ended up playing a season-high 20 minutes. He responded with eight points on 3 of 8 shooting and went 2 for 4 from downtown. He added four rebounds and one assist with no turnover, showing nerves of steel for a rookie.

“We see it in practice. When he’s had opportunities in the G-League, he’s played really well there as well. He played well in the summer league. It’s good for him to have an opportunity like that,” Thibodeau said of McBride. “All the things that he’s working on every day and then to get into a game situation and to see it unfold, it’s good, it’s positive. Our young guys are really playing hard, and they’re coming along.”

McBride’s confidence was oozing all night. Even the shots that he missed, he took them with conviction. There was no sign of hesitation.

Four impressive games in the G League prepared McBride for his moment. He dominated the G League competition with monster numbers — 26.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 1.3 steals — and shot 40.5 percent from the three-point territory on 9.3 attempts.

“Deuce is a good player, man,” Derrick Rose said. His confidence is very high. His defense is top-tier. He just needs the time. Hopefully, Thibs gives him the time. But we know how good he is. And we know how good the rookies are. So it’s all about opportunity in this league.”

Thibodeau constantly harped about “confidence comes from preparation.”

McBride is another proof of that Thibodeau’s tenet.

When preparation met opportunity, he grabbed it, and he never let it go. McBride was the only Knicks player who finished with a positive (+4) plus-minus.

Barring any trade that would bring in a solid Kemba Walker replacement in the coming days, McBride figures to play more minutes moving forward as they continue to miss their COVID-19 stricken teammates.

McBride leapfrogging Walker in the rotation could be the final sign that the former four-time All-Star point guard is on his way out of New York. Walker and Fournier, who had a season-low two points on 1 of 5 shooting, will be trade-eligible beginning Wednesday.

Thibodeau remained steadfast with his decision to sit out Walker despite the Knicks sliding to their seventh loss in the last eight games — their record since he yanked the New York-bred point guard out of the rotation.

“You just want to put your team in a position to win. If you look at the games and you go through the games, there’s some really good stuff, and there’s some stuff that, obviously, has to be better,” Thibodeau reasoned out.

While Golden State coach Steve Kerr has it all figured out with the Warriors thanks to the continuity of their championship core led by Curry, Thibodeau is still learning more about his team.

“I think we’re finding some stuff out about some [of our] young guys. I love our young guys. When Jericho [Sims] stepped in, he played well (in Atlanta). When Quentin (Grimes) stepped in, he played well. I thought Deuce (Miles McBride) played well tonight. So, you know, we need everyone.”

What is becoming more apparent is that the Knicks’ offseason acquisitions — Walker and Fournier — have been a major flop. Their rookies’ promising showing somehow provides the silver lining amid a disastrous start.

Curry capped his 22-point (5 of 14 3s) performance with the dagger three-pointer in the final 2:41.

Curry’s historic night was a painful reminder of what the Knicks missed in the 2009 NBA Draft. They came one pick away from perhaps their greatest selection since Patrick Ewing.

The Warriors scuttled their plan.

To the victor belongs the spoils. To the loser belongs the lessons.

After several draft misses, finally, the Knicks appear to have had hit their recent picks.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Julius Randle, Knicks left fuming as Nets escape in rivalry game

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In a rivalry game that had a lot of twists and turns, James Johnson emerged as the unlikely hero.

The defensive-minded forward Johnson canned a pair of pressure-packed free throws with 2.2 seconds left that allowed the Brooklyn Nets to escape with a 112-110 win over the New York Knicks Tuesday night at Barclays Center.

Kevin Durant wisely milked the clock and found a wide-open Johnson who drove to the basket and fished a foul from Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. Evan Fournier missed a prayer at the buzzer as the Knicks’ first game without Kemba Walker in the rotation had a promising start but ended in heartbreak.

Randle charged at the official fuming after the loss.

“I’m not going to talk about [the officiating], I’m going to talk about the game, what the players are out there doing,” Randle said. “I’m not going to talk about [the referees] because they clearly don’t understand the game.”

The rest of the Knicks points guards — Alec Burks, Derrick Rose, and Immanuel Quickley — took turns in guiding the Knicks’ offense. After a hiccup in the middle quarters, the Knicks looked poised for a win when they stormed back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit.

An Obi Toppin dunk gave the Knicks a three-point lead, 98-95, midway in the fourth quarter. Then Kevin Durant carried the Nets on his back, firing 11 points down the stretch.

After the game, Durant said he wanted to take Randle one-on-one for the last shot, but Rose who came to double him, scuttled his plan. Luckily for Brooklyn, Johnson was up to the task.

Durant started the game with an ugly 2 for 9 shooting from the floor. He came back with a vengeance in the second half. Durant had 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting, mainly against Randle, who was hit with a crucial technical foul with 1:36 left.

Durant sank the bonus free throw to extend the Nets’ lead to three. After a Randle-Durant back-and-forth, Evan Fournier fired a game-tying triple with 17.7 seconds left off the Knicks’ final timeout. It turned out to be the Knicks’ last stand.

Burks led the Knicks with a new season-high 25 points, eclipsing his 23-point game in his first start in Atlanta two nights ago. Rose dropped a 16-point, 9-assist gem off the bench in his return from sickbay while Quickley added 12 points.

The trio’s production negated James Harden’s 34-point performance that came with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Harden went 9 for 10 from the line. Durant was a perfect 10 for 10. The Nets took 25 free throws, 13 more than the Knicks, which had New York coach Tom Thibodeau also upset during his postgame interview.

“My thoughts overall, we did a lot of good things. We didn’t close it out. I want to take a look at the film,” Thibodeau said. “There’s a big discrepancy in free throws. I can tell you that. Julius is driving the ball and he gets 2 free throws?”

Even with Randle taking only one-fifth of Harden and Durant’s free throw rate, he still came up with 24 points on 11 of 22 shots.

If there was another silver lining from this loss, it was Randle’s return to his All-NBA form.

Randle flirted with a triple-double as he added nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.

With 3:30 left in the second quarter, Randle held the ball at the right elbow. He sized up Durant.

A day earlier, Randle proclaimed Durant is the best player in the league.

“Have you even seen a 7-footer with that skill? He can do anything on the court,” said Randle after Monday’s practice. “No weakness.”

Hyped up in their matchup, Randle poked a hole in Durant’s armor.

Randle took a jab step. And in one quick motion with little hesitation, he lost Durant. Randle attacked the basket with Durant trailing. LaMarcus Aldridge came to help. It was too late.

Randle completed a three-point play off Durant’s foul. He added two more baskets off Durant.

The Knicks held a 61-60 lead at the half after blowing an eight-point lead in the opening quarter.

Randle dominated Durant in the first half. But Durant had the last laugh. And Randle went home fuming.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

How Derrick Rose’s refined skills are keeping the Knicks afloat early in the season

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knicks, derrick rose

One of the Knicks‘ most valuable players is veteran point guard Derrick Rose. After being acquired from the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline last season, Rose has carved out an important role with the second team. Despite the front office bringing in Kemba Walker to serve as the starter, Rose immediately took a backseat and handed the starting job to Kemba, who has been inconsistent this season.

However, Rose has been the pinnacle of consistency and leadership, providing fantastic performances with the second unit to compensate for the lack of starting efficiency. At 33-years-old, Rose is like fine wine, adding different elements and flavors to his game, something he prides himself in with a Tom Brady like approach.

Rose said recently he’s trying to play as long as possible, taking care of his body:

“Hopefully I’m going to try to Tom Brady this thing, play as long as possible, make sure I really take care of my body. And if I’m playing play with joy. I don’t have to score 30 points a night anymore to affect the game.

Rose is averaging 12.9 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and is shooting 47.4% from the field and 44% from three point range. He’s only averaged 22.9 minutes per game, but his action proves to be essential on a nightly basis.

HOT NEWS:

–3 keys for the Knicks to beat Orlando

–Immanuel Quickley’s insane growth was pre-determined 

The New York Knicks are experiencing growth from Derrick Rose:

Rose is the perfect example that an old dog can learn new tricks, considering his incredible three-point percentage this season. Compared to last year with Detroit and New York, Rose only hit 14% of his three-point attempts unassisted. This year, that number has skyrocketed to 35% over 14 games. In addition, 38% of his points are coming from beyond the arc, the highest mark in his entire career. Over the last decade, the second highest was 30%, which is still 8% percent lower than his current number.

Interestingly, 34.2% of his total shot attempts are from three-point range, another career-high for the veteran point guard. Rose has entirely redefined his game as a sharpshooter who also displays awesome aggressiveness in transition when defenders are lagging behind. His floor-general mentality but efficient shooting has given the Knicks a catalyst off the bench, and pairing him with young guard Immanuel Quickley has done wonders for a team that struggled to score in the first half.

The decision to extend Rose on a three-year, $43.5 million deal has proven to be essential in the Knicks’ success, and Thibodeau made it a priority to bring him back. In fact, Derrick is playing so well, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him combo with Quickley more frequently in a starting fashion.

Amid Knicks’ struggles, Tom Thibodeau stays positive: It’s a long season

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

A recent slide has dimmed the glow of the New York Knicks‘ 5-1 start.

Losers of three of their last four games, the Knicks’ celebrated offseason moves are now being questioned. Julius Randle, who rose to become the new King of New York last season, is getting vilified like it’s 2019 all over again. The Knicks’ reloaded starting lineup has raised more questions than answers.

For two straight games, their starters struggled to show any semblance of cohesion. After they teased with a dazzling start in Charlotte, they regressed as the game progressed.

Thibodeau, who lost his cool following their meltdown against the defending champion but shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks last Wednesday, refused to point fingers this time.

“It’s not a one-person thing,” Thibodeau said when a reporter asked what’s going on with Randle. “It’s our group. We gotta function well together as a group and so we gotta bring the best out in each other. So, everyone has the responsibility to execute, to share the ball, to be in the right spots. That’s what we have to do. When we do that, we’re very good on offense.”

Except for his yeoman’s job in Philadelphia, Randle had underperformed in the Knicks’ last three losses. In those games, Randle averaged only 15.0 points on a 36/29/55 shooting split. His other numbers are also down — 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists against 3.3 turnovers.

But it’s not only Randle.

There’s also the $78-million man Evan Fournier, who asked for more ball movement after struggling to get rhythm shots in the Knicks’ current slide. Through seven games in November, the Frenchman is only averaging 9.1 points on a 39/23/73 shooting split.

RJ Barrett has cooled off, too, after a string of five 20-plus point games. His sudden downward trend has hurt the Knicks most in their last three losses. He didn’t even reach double-digit scoring in those games and averaged just 5.7 points on an atrocious 23 percent shooting, including going 1 for 11 from downtown.

“It’s a long season, players go through these [struggles],” Thibodeau said. “I’m a big believer in being mentally tough when you face adversity. So, oftentimes, ‘hey look you just got to work your way through it. You never know when it’s going to change in the next play.’ But get back to the hustle part of it. Usually, that’s what gets you going.”

When they are not shooting well, Thibodeau again implores his struggling players to do the other things that contribute to winning: “rebounding, making plays, sharing the ball, screening, moving without the ball, cutting hard, whatever it might be.”

“We can’t get wrapped up in personal dilemmas,” Thibodeau said. “It’s a team game.”

What the Knicks starters are lacking, their bench had plenty of it.

Derrick Rose remains steady. Immanuel Quickley is finally emerging from early-season shooting woes. Obi Toppin continues his giant sophomore leap. Alec Burks is quietly putting together another solid season. Taj Gibson is an ageless wonder. Nerlens Noel, when healthy, is among the league’s top defensive big men.

Together, they have been a bundle of energy. The second unit has sparked joy among Knicks fans as they have inspired several comebacks from double-digit deficits.

“There are plays in which that they were generated from great hustle and I think when you get those plays, they unite and inspire your own team. And so, that’s how we got going with the bench in the third quarter,” Thibodeau said referring to the Knicks’ bench overhauling an 11-point Hornets deficit to grab the lead midway in the fourth quarter.

“When they started hustling and getting deflections and getting stops and we got into the open floor, then we started feeling good and we started playing well. That’s what we need to do.”

Thibodeau still believes his starters can figure this out together. After all, their second unit did not become this cohesively good overnight.

As one wise man once said, “It’s a long season.”

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Tom Thibodeau loses cool as Knicks starters flame out in latest home loss

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knicks, kemba walker, julius randle

Like the New York Knicks‘ second unit, coach Tom Thibodeau tried to hold everything together until he no longer could.

Thibodeau’s postgame presser started in a somber mood but ended in a fiery tone aimed to challenge his starters to get their acts together sooner rather than later.

“You know what they say — when it’s 10 games, you say we need 20. When you get to 20, you say 30. When we get to 30, you say 40, and then before you know it, the season’s over,” said Thibodeau referring to how much time do his starters need to jell. “So, that’s a bunch of bull—t.”

The scathing remarks came on the heels of an embarrassing performance by the starting unit in a 112-100 loss to the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks, who played in the second night of a back-to-back schedule.

The Knicks starters came out flat and dug themselves a 24-point hole in the third quarter. Thibodeau turned to their second unit, which played with the chemistry and intensity lacking in his starting five.

Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley led a spirited fourth-quarter comeback that rocked the Garden to its core with the celebrity row dancing in a celebration led by Fat Joe.

A Quickley three-pointer tied the game at 89 with 5:06 left.

It was fun while it lasted.

Pat Connaughton rescued the Bucks from another collapse with three straight three-pointers down the stretch to douse cold water on the Knicks’ fiery rally.

Connaughton finished with 23 points on a career-high seven three-pointers. It marked the fifth time in as many Knicks losses that an opposing player had a career game.

The Bucks shot 26 of 52 from downtown, the most ever three-pointers made at Madison Square Garden, according to ESPN Stats and Info. After the Knicks forced the deadlock, Milwaukee hit seven three-pointers which tied the most made in the final five mins of regulation over the last 25 seasons.

No matter how hard the second unit tried to hide the smelly stinker by the starters, it blew up in the end.

The second unit that rallied the Knicks back in this game had the best net rating among all five-man lineups that have played at least 60 minutes together. Rose, Quickley, Alec Burks, Obi Toppin, and Taj Gibson have played 61 minutes together and outscored opponents by 19.9 points per 100 possessions.

In stark contrast, the Knicks starting lineup of Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson have been outscored by 14.4 points per 100 possessions in 205 minutes, the most by any five-man lineup in the NBA.

On Wednesday night, the Knicks bench outscored the starters, 68-32.

The starting backcourt — Walker and Fournier, who came in the offseason with the hype of additional firepower — was a combined 2 for 12 from the field. Only Randle scored in double figures with 15 points but on 16 shots, and his plus-minus (-26) was the second-worst in the whole team. All starters had a negative plus-minus ranging from Robinson’s -15 to Barrett’s -28.

It was a humiliating performance that earned some boos from their home fans in the third quarter.

The Knicks dropped to 2-4 at home and will stake their 5-1 road record, the best in the Eastern Conference, against the Hornets in Charlotte on Friday.

Without the crowds for most of last season, the Knicks had a better home record (25-11) than on the road (16-20).

“Right now, we’re playing well on the road. We’re not playing well at home. It is unusual. So, we gotta get that straightened up,” Thibodeau said.

Rose, who led the Knicks with 22 points and seven assists, was lost for words on the Knicks’ struggles at their home floor.

“I really don’t know,” Rose said. “I can’t put a finger on it. It’s kind of hard to process right now. We gotta find a way.”

But they better hurry as the games keep on coming fast. And before they know it, the season might be over.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Julius Randle takes step forward as Knicks leader after talk with Derrick Rose

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Everything New York Knicks did in the offseason revolved around Julius Randle.

They retained the core that accentuated Randle’s ascending talent. They brought in Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to shield him from being ganged up again in a potential playoff run this season.

The Knicks eliminated any doubt by locking him up to a lucrative, four-year extension. The Knicks view Randle as their star. The team revolves around him, much like how Milwaukee Bucks built a championship team around Giannis Antetokounmpo from the ground up. Or how LeBron James’ teams have always revolved around him. And how the Brooklyn Nets are now operating with Kevin Durant.

That’s just how it works in the NBA galaxy — where a team revolves around their biggest star as their sun. In return, their stars shine a light on the players, who act as the planets in their solar system.

Randle finally acknowledged the elephant in the room after his tentative play impacted the Knicks’ uneven start to their season, which comes with heavy expectation. A week after Derrick Rose gave him unsolicited advice, Randle finally approached him.

Randle took a step forward in growing into his new role after a lengthy, heart-to-heart talk with Rose following their third straight home loss on Sunday against the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I had a long talk with Derrick [Rose] after the game because I’m an introverted person too,” Randle said after he led the Knicks to a much-needed win in Philadelphia on Monday night.

Rose, the youngest MVP in the league, was once in Randle’s shoes. During his time in Chicago, where the Bulls revolved around him, Rose, who was quiet in nature, struggled to assert himself into the leadership role.

“I’m kind of like lead by example, my actions and stuff like that,” Randle said. “And he’s telling me how it took him a long time to figure it out.”

There wasn’t an inkling that Randle is an introvert as he was always candid in interviews and always talked the walk. But if you closely paid attention to other Knicks players’ interviews, it was always Rose, Walker, and Taj Gibson who the younger players name as the veterans they talk to almost every day.

Randle is still leading the team in scoring and other important statistics. But his efficiency took a hit as he sometimes second-guessed his new teammates and accommodated RJ Barrett’s rapid growth.

Evan Mobley, Cavaliers’ rookie stud, dropped a career-high 26 points on 11 of 15 shooting, nine boards, and five assists against him. Randle struggled to score 19 points on 17 shots. He added seven assists, but he was a team-worst minus-32. In short, Randle got badly outplayed by a rookie.

Before he approached Rose, Randle owned up to his failings as a leader. Randle is the undisputed leader of the team even though coach Tom Thibodeau refuses to officially name him as the team captain, perhaps as a sign of respect to Rose and Walker.

“I’ll take accountability,” Randle said after the loss. “I’ve got to be better. As the leader of the team, I’ll be better. I gotta talk more. Play with more energy.”

Nothing new. Randle always talks the walk during interviews.

But on Monday night, there was a visible change in Randle’s demeanor that changed the Knicks’ tenor. He talked the walk then walked the talk.

Randle was visibly more vocal. He huddled the team on the court at the height of Philadelphia’s uprising. He led the way on both ends of the floor down the stretch to carry the Knicks to a gut-wrenching 103-96 win over the shorthanded Sixers.

Randle scored 10 of his game-high 31 points in the final 4:46 and was locked in defensively to avert what should have been a deflating loss. Especially against a team that is missing its top stars Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and their ace perimeter defender Matisse Thybulle due to health and safety protocols.

“It’s just getting out of your comfort zone, growing as a person, as a leader,” Randle said. “The next step for me is just being a little bit more vocal with my teammates, talking, and making sure we’re staying together and telling each other what we see out there.”

Randle finally stopped acting like the Earth or Mercury and started embracing being the sun of this team.

The best leaders always understand the need to walk the talk. But not all people, or in this case, not all players, are wired to be inspired by that. There is power in language that is so unique to hoopers who can only understand each other.

Michael Jordan had a unique language that compelled his Bulls teammates to rise with him. Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, Randle’s mentor in his early days, was wired like Jordan. Their concept of winning is different from the rest. They were leaders that think differently about their craft and invariably talk about it differently as well.

But in these times when player empowerment and inclusivity are strong in the league, the type of sustainable leadership is the one that harnesses the power of language and emphatically uses that as a form of communication to remind everyone what really drives success.

“I want him to be vocal,” Thibodeau said. “I want everyone to use their voice. That’s a big part of leadership. But I also want them backing it up with their actions, and actions will always reflect one’s priorities. And so, when they’re doing the right things, good things are going to happen.

It didn’t matter that it was an early November win against a contender that was a shell of themselves. Yes, the Knicks needed Thibodeau’s 400th career win but what really mattered, in the end, was Randle’s gains in his leadership crash course that will help them down the road.

“I think we took a step forward today — all of us learning and figuring each other out and stuff like that,” Randle said. “It was really good. We just got to keep building on it.”

The NBA is a stars’ league. The Knicks did not have any at the start of team president Leon Rose’s reign. But they made one out of Randle, who became an All-Star and All-NBA type of player.

Randle carried the franchise to their first playoff berth in eight years. But the weight of the playoffs was too much for a first-timer like Randle. That alone should keep Randle and the Knicks on edge.

“It was kind of funny and cool to see who I was as a player and as a person coming into the league and year eight who I am now,” Randle mused. “Just being comfortable being uncomfortable, getting outside of my comfort zone, talking, and telling my teammates what I see and asking them what I see. It’s just really about communication. A lot of [undesirable] things out there defensively or in the game period, we can eliminate if we communicate.”

It’s a long season. There will be ebb and flow. But Randle took an important step that will be critical to the Knicks’ campaign this season.

When the Knicks traded for Rose, they were not only plugging a glaring hole. After all, he is a Thibodeau disciple.

As Rose stumbled and got up along the way, he finally understood what it takes to be a leader. He’s now aging like a fine wine, finding a second, third wind with Thibodeau.

In the last decade, a team revolved around Rose, and it failed spectacularly at the end that led to Thibodeau’s firing. Rose doesn’t want Randle to commit the same mistakes he did.

Rose is glad Randle approached him and is a willing listener as much as a leader.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Derrick Rose’s evolution sparks joy in second go-round with Knicks

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During his first run with the New York Knicks in the ill-fated 2016-17 season, Derrick Rose became a meme when he proclaimed they’re a super team. A legal battle off the court divided his attention. His infamous AWOL poked a hole in his character. Another knee injury cut short his first stint with the team.

He plummeted into a dark place, as he described it, but found a way to climb his way back like the way he pulled the Knicks out from a 21-point hole to rout the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, 113-98, on Friday night.

In the words of Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer and his two-time All-Defensive First Team guard Jrue Holiday, Rose did “a little bit of everything” to fuel the Knicks’ biggest comeback in franchise history.

His season-high 23 points came in various forms, from his signature daredevil drives to floaters and pullups. He laced it up with eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals in a complete two-way performance that elicited Vintage D Rose tweets from fans.

He scoffed when a reporter asked if he still hates that label.

“What’s vintage about it? I wasn’t shooting threes. I wasn’t pulling up shots like I am now,” Rose said. But if you want to say it, you could say it, though. It’s whatever.”

Ten years removed from his historic MVP season, the 33-year old Rose remains defiant. But not in a way like he did in his first season with the Knicks when he refused to shoot more three-point shots.

Rose’s 0.9 three-point attempt in the 2016-17 season remains tied with his lowest mark in his career, which happened during his rookie year. Over the last five years, that gradually improved to a healthy 3.7 attempts per game. He’s hitting close to two triples per game, and he’s currently the second-best three-point shooter in the team with a top-20 45.5 percent mark.

“It’s not really vintage. Look at the tape,” Julius Randle said of Rose’s evolving game. “Who he was as MVP and who he is now, I would say he’s a much more complete. He’s a better player than he was then. [There’s] nothing really vintage about it. [He’s] evolved and become a much better player [when it comes to] understanding the game, clear mindset.”

Rose’s daredevil drives remain to eat the largest portion of his shot diet, as was the case on Friday night when five of his 10 field goals made came from the restricted area. But since the 2016-17 season, Rose’s frequency of shot attempts within less than 10 feet have decreased from 55.3 percent down to 42.1 percent this season. Last season, it was 42.9 percent.

His pullup game has evolved from 34 percent frequency in the 2012-13 season to 37.9 percent this year and peaked at 43 percent during his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“That’s something that I’ve been working on the whole time, pulling out and just trusting my shot,” Rose said. “I’ve put a lot of work into my shot for the last [five years]. This is my 14th year. So, trying to adapt my game to how the young guys are playing and whatever presents itself.”

His catch-and-shoot game also dramatically changed from his first stint with the Knicks as he transformed from a lead playmaker to a combo guard off the bench. These days, Rose usually plays with a three-guard alignment alongside Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks, with RJ Barrett doing moonlighting at times. From 6.7 percent frequency in the 2016-17 season, his catch and shoot attempts have peaked at 18.9 percent this season.

Rose had a pair of catch and shoot opportunities which all came from behind the 3-point line on Friday night. But he missed both of them. It didn’t matter as he sank 3 of 6 pullups and made 7 of 10 within 10 feet.

Through nine games, Rose is averaging 12.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.0 steals against a single turnover in 22 minutes off the bench, making him a strong candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Rose’s transformation from the youngest MVP to one of the oldest Sixth Man of the Year candidates this season came with maturity. He has the chance to duplicate what Bill Walton has accomplished at 33 during his stint with the Boston Celtics during the 1985-86 season. If Rose wins the award, he will join Walton as the only former league MVP to be named Sixth Man of the Year later in their careers.

Rose’s redemptive story remains one of the most inspiring career arcs in the NBA.

Rose is in a much better headspace now. He wants to do a Tom Brady. Based on his stellar play, it looks like he could pull it off barring any (knock on wood) serious injury.

“I’m playing with joy like happiness ain’t the same,” a cryptic Rose said.

Rose has come a long way. He has learned to manage his knees, his body, and the game better than it was a decade ago.

“I’ve been through a lot. I’m in a great place,” Rose added. “And I’m on a very talented team. I don’t have to score. It’s not on me every night to score 30 points, so I don’t have a burden on myself like that. I can go out there and play the game and try to affect by passing or just pushing the ball. So, I’m in a great place.”

Rose has come a long way. His evolution has sparked joy in his game. And it’s helping the Knicks in a big way.

“I feel like happiness is temporary and joyfulness is everlasting,” Rose said.

Restless for the most part of his career, Rose is finally at peace.

Follow this writer: @alderalmo

How the Knicks found their mojo back in franchise’s biggest comeback win

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knicks, derrick rose

With 7:20 left in the second quarter, the Milwaukee Bucks tried to blitz a New York Knicks‘ pick and roll play.

Derrick Rose fought off a Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis double team and whipped a wicked pass to a rolling Mitchell Robinson. Bucks’ 3-and-D wing Grayson Allen, who gives up six inches vertically to the 7-foot Knicks center, had no choice but to foul.

It was too late.

Robinson slammed the ball. He completed the three-point play that was part of a Knicks’ 24-8 run.

“This is all about Derrick Rose orchestrating this team in getting back to this basketball game,” analyst Doris Burke blurted out on the ESPN telecast.

Behind Rose and a rejuvenated defense, the Knicks cut the once-imposing Bucks’ 21-point lead down to seven at the half, 63-56.

“Defensively, I think we lost our identity in the second quarter,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Rose played the whole second quarter. He pushed the ball and kept pressuring the Bucks’ defense until it broke down. Rose had eight in the pivotal second quarter, where the Knicks exploded for 37 points.

The Knicks came to Milwaukee distraught with a two-game losing streak. An 11-0 Indiana Pacers start buried them two nights before this match.

“We got to pick ourselves up and have a determination about it. I always say, you have to be mentally tough when you’re facing adversity, and that’s where we are right now,” New York coach Thibodeau said after a failed comeback attempt against the Pacers.

The early moments of this game felt eerily similar to their road loss in Indiana.

The defending champion Bucks, without Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton, started the game on a 6-0 run. Allen waxed hot from the outside as the Knicks were again a step slow to close out as they packed the paint to stop two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. At one point, Allen outscored the Knicks, 14-13.

The Bucks shot 8 for 16 from the outside en route to 38 first-quarter points. The pressure was mounting as the Knicks’ signature defense under Tom Thibodeau was virtually non-existent in the first 12 minutes of their last two games. Indiana racked up 36 first-quarter points against them and cruised to a wire-to-wire 111-98 rout that sunk the Knicks to a 5-3 record after a 5-1 start.

Thibodeau turned to his most trusted player to turn the tide. Rose, who has been with Thibodeau from Chicago to Minnesota and now in New York, led the Knicks’ stunning comeback from 21 points down to win by 15, 113-98.

It marked the first time in franchise history that the Knicks have overcome a 20-point deficit to record a double-digit victory since the NBA began tracking play-by-play in boxscores during the 1997-98 season.

Rose provided the Knicks with “a little bit of everything,” said the 2-time All-NBA Defensive First Team Jrue Holiday, who came off the bench for the Bucks in his first game back from an ankle injury. “Floaters, the way he got into the paint, and his leadership. I think down the stretch, he hit some big [shots].”

Rose returned in the fourth quarter to finish off the Bucks with 10 of his season-high 23 points. But buried underneath Rose’s offensive brilliance is the grittiness he showed that rubbed off to the whole team.

“I felt once we got going a little bit and we made a couple of hustle plays and that sort of galvanized us and gave us our energy,” Thibodeau said.

Rose’s first play in the second quarter wasn’t a basket. It was a steal. He poked the ball away out of Pat Connaughton’s hands, setting the tone for their comeback.

The whole team fed off Rose’s energy. Alec Burks and RJ Barrett had burst in their steps, closing out a pair of Rodney Hood corner three-point attempts. Obi Toppin outran Giannis Antetokounmpo in transition. Even Evan Fournier battled underneath their basket and made an awe-inspiring putback. Nerlens Noel defended Antetokounmpo with gusto. Julius Randle got on track, dropping 10 of his game-high 32 points.

Staring face to face with adversity, the Knicks blinked for a while but did not back down. They pushed harder.

Budenholzer pointed out the 11 free throws the Knicks had in the second quarter. New York had zero in the opening quarter. It spoke volumes about the Knicks’ change of tenor, turning more aggressive after a lackadaisical effort at the start.

“We got beat in the defensive and offensive boards. We just didn’t play well after a good start. Credit to the Knicks. I think they just beat us in every facet of the game after the first quarter handily,” Budenholzer said.

He was right.

What stood out was the Knicks’ dominance in the paint and the glass. They outrebounded the Bucks, 59-37, and had a massive 54-28 advantage in points inside the paint. Their rebounding dominance and low turnovers, committing only eight after five in the first quarter, kept the Bucks from running. Milwaukee could only cough up 10 fastbreak points, the lowest the Knicks have allowed in their first nine games.

The gritty, resilient Knicks are back.

They returned to what went work for them last season— outmuscling and outhustling their opponent.

After shaking off the rust of a long layoff, Nerlens Noel anchored the Knicks’ defense. Noel scored six points in his second game back from a knee and hamstring injury but registered a second-team best plus-22 differential mainly because of his stout defense. He produced 13 rebounds, three steals, nine deflections, and a shot block that had Thibodeau gushing in the postgame presser.

“Nerlens’ play was phenomenal,” Thibodeau said. “We probably overlook all the other aspects of his defense because we always talk about his rim protection which is obviously elite. But his pick and roll defense is terrific as well and just the way he can fly all over the court. And he’s got great length and it gives your team energy.”

Noel teamed up with Robinson to hold Antetokounmpo to 42.6 percent shooting and just seven rebounds. The Bucks’ main man finished with 25 points on a rough 7 for 17 shooting from the floor. It was his second-worst shooting night of the season since a 36.4-percent disastrous showing in the Bucks’ loss to Miami Heat last month.

“The challenge with a guy like Giannis is we gotta load up pretty good to him and they can make some threes. And they did. And still, you can’t get discouraged. You gotta keep going. Make sure you’re protecting the paint,” Thibodeau said.

“But you got to make sure you’re firing out and covering that [three-point] line. So it requires you to do two, three, four things on the same play. They’re pushing the ball on top of that. So there’s no relaxing.”

After a torrid shooting start, the Bucks just hit 8 of 27 threes the rest of the way. The Knicks closed out strong on Bucks’ perimeter shooters while packing the paint. Overall, the Knicks’ defense held the Bucks to a 40.2 percent shooting night.

“I thought a lot of guys stepped up and I thought our bench gave us a great lift when they came in and they got it within reach. And then when the starters went back in the third, I thought they played with great intensity,” Thibodeau said.

After Rose lifted the Knicks in the second quarter, Walker seemed energized. He hit a three at the start of the third quarter as the Knicks’ starters went on a mini-run, trimming the Bucks’ lead further down to four. Then Thibodeau staggered Barrett with the second unit to keep on pressuring Milwaukee’s disintegrating defense.

An Immanuel Quickley fastbreak dunk off a Noel steal tied the game at 80, and a Barrett cutting layup in the next play gave the Knicks their first lead.

Thibodeau described the Rose-Quickley-Barrett alignment as a group that can break the defense down off the dribble.

“It gets you downhill. That group has good chemistry and play good together,” Thibodeau said. “We haven’t done it a lot but [RJ] has always played great with that group. It’s good to have more scoring punch in there.

It’s a small sample size, but in 14 possessions that Barrett played with the second unit this season, the Knicks had an offensive rating of 150.0 and +57.1 efficiency differential, according to Cleaning The Glass. In contrast, the second unit with Burks in place of Barrett had a 133.3 offensive rating and +15.2 differential in 30 possessions.

It all started with Rose picking up the slack as Walker struggled for the second consecutive game. Walker was 0 for 3 to start the game. He wound up 2 for 8 from the field in 15 minutes and finished with five points and a single assist.

The Knicks got outscored by 10 points with Walker on the floor. In contrast, the Knicks were plus-31 during Rose’s 31 minutes. Rose added eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals in easily his best game of the season.

Randle took the cue and had a monster double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds, and adding four assists. Barrett continued his strong offensive performance with 20 points, his fifth straight game scoring at least 20. Quickley also played solid off the bench with nine points on 4 of 9 shooting.

The Knicks met adversity with resiliency in a game that could define their season.

“It shows a lot about the character of the team,” Randle said. “Great confidence building for us. We just gotta keep building.”

“If anything, this can thrust us forward into the area that we want to be of consistency,” Rose added.

They still have a long way to go. Fournier and Walker are still plagued with inconsistency, a clear sign that they are still adjusting. Thibodeau relied on last season’s core group to pull them out of the deep hole. Now comes the more challenging part — staying out of that hole for good.

“You want to develop consistency in terms of how hard you play, how together you play, how smart you play. You want to be able to count on that every night,” Thibodeau said. “So if you let your guard down or if you just feel too good about yourself, you’re gonna get knocked down. Everyone’s fighting for the same thing. It’s how hard can we fight and how long can we fight.”

Rose fighting off the Bucks’ blitz in that particular play in the second quarter was symbolic of how the Knicks should move forward. As Thibodeau always says, “don’t fight pressure with pressure.”

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Knicks: Derrick Rose gives Julius Randle a piece of advice to counter double teams

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knicks, julius randle

Despite the addition of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, teams are still loading up on New York Knicks‘ All-Star Julius Randle.

They are testing his patience and maturity to determine whether he’s ready to lead a team with talent around him.

Randle has embraced being the Knicks’ central figure on offense. According to Cleaning The Glass, Randle leads the Knicks with a 28.9 usage rate in the 87th percentile. It’s just a slight drop to his 30.4 usage rate last season, which was in the 98th percentile.

Through seven games this season, Randle is tied for fifth with Giannis Antetokoumnpo in isolation points with 5.4 per game behind Spencer Dinwiddie (5.5), Kevin Durant (8.0), James Harden (8.3), and surprise leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (9.4). Randle is seventh in isolation possessions with 5.1 per game, and he’s shooting 46.2 percent, which is in the 64.6 percentile, per NBA advanced stats.

Last season, Randle averaged 5.0 isolation points on 5.5 possessions per game.

Old habits die hard. Randle is still struggling to give up isolation plays despite the Knicks adding more talent to ease his burden.

For the first time in his career, Randle is the No.1 option in a playoff-contending team. This is new to him, like it was last season when he led a so-so Knicks team to a surprising playoff run. He’s learning on the fly.

Derrick Rose had been there, done that.

Content as the sixth man of a deep New York Knicks team, Rose is happy to pass on some wisdom to Randle.

“Just play his game,” Rose said after Wednesday’s shootaround in Indianapolis before they take on the Pacers. “I feel like if he just goes out there and plays his game everything is going to be good. We know that we’ve got more scoring on the team. He’s got to find ways to get lost. Right now they’re double-teaming from different spots on the court.”

In their recent loss to the Toronto Raptors, their downfall started with two consecutive Randle isolation plays that went awry after the Knicks built a 15-point lead. He followed that up with another two isolation plays where he got doubled, which led to turnovers and easy points for the Raptors.

“That’s why we’ve got Kemba and Evan on the floor with him so that when you’ve got that type of person on that side of the ball, offensively, it’s easy to just get lost,’ Rose said. “Being that No. 1 option you want that opportunity to get lost in the offense.”

It’s unsolicited advice that Randle should take because Rose is talking from his experience as the youngest MVP in the league, who led a young Chicago Bulls team to their best stretch in the post-Michael Jordan era.

“I played where I had to do everything, bring the ball up, set up the offense, score the ball, and if it was up to me, I wouldn’t want to do all that. But I was kind of forced to do it, so I had to figure it out,” Rose said. “Ju (Randle), he’s a great guy, and he’s all about figuring things out. So it’s about just letting him learn and letting him adjust, playing with three new starters.”

Randle’s ability to adapt to this new situation will tell how far this reloaded Knicks team can go.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo