BACK TO BUSINESS
Rose ready to return to reeling Knicks’ lineup
The Knicks hope a cure-all for much of what ails them lately returns to the lineup Tuesday in Derrick Rose.
“That’s the plan,” Rose, who has missed two-plus games with back spasms, said Monday after going through a full practice at the Knicks’ Tarrytown facility.
“He didn’t complain of any back spasms or anything like that. Very hopeful that he’ll be able to go tomorrow,” coach Jeff Hornacek said.
With Rose, the Knicks see expected improvement offensively and defensively. And they envision a possible panacea for their moribund starts as well as a dose of good feeling for the collective psyche after stumbling home with three straight defeats to face the Pacers.
“We hope it makes a difference. We were playing pretty well,” Hornacek said. “Unfortunately, right at the beginning of the Phoenix game, Derrick went down with the back spasms. So we were kind of scrambling from that point on. We’ve got to get back to those winning ways.”
Health is always a hold-yourbreath issue with Rose, who played just 100 games over a four-year span because of knee injuries following his 2010-11 MVP season. His recent troubles with the Knicks, though, are from back spasms and Rose does not see this as a recurring concern.
“I think it’s just a one-shot thing. Before I fell, I wasn’t worried about it. Things like this are going to happen,” said Rose, who missed the final two games of the trip plus all but 9:54 of the Phoenix game. “It comes with the season, bumps and falls. I just got to find a way around it. I can’t let it get to me mentally.”
Rose missed two games with back spasms, returned with a 25-point tour de force in a win then took a jarring fall in Phoenix. The Knicks have been searching for remedies since. So Monday was a positive.
“Felt good. Was able to play the entire practice so I feel all right,” Rose said. “I just want to put all these injuries behind me and get on with the season.”
Rose had back issues in 2012 when he was knocked down by Dwight Howard. This time, the Suns’ Eric Bledsoe dealt the offending hit.
“I had to get a shot for that one,” Rose said of 2012, calling this time “totally different.”
The Knicks hope their upcoming fortunes also are totally different from recent ways. Their starts have been awful of late. Over their last six games (2-4), they have been outscored in first quarters by an average of 5.7 points, a mark that rises to 8.5 in the four defeats. Rose’s absence has a trickle-down effect. Brandon Jennings starts, but then the second unit is weakened.
“Brandon with that second group really runs, so we lose a little bit of that,” Hornacek said. “The first group is a team that sets it up more in the half-court offense, which is more conducive to Derrick and his abilities in the half-court to get to the basket and create plays.”
And defensively, the Knicks have been taking early hits. In four of the last six games, they have trailed by double-digits in the first quarter so they seek to rectify that.
“Not just in the beginning but throughout the entire game. That effort has to be there where if we’re having a hard time scoring they got to have a hard time scoring,” Rose said. “It all starts with communication, especially on the defensive end.”
So the Knicks (14-13), count on Rose to lead them back to what it was like at four games over .500.
“Obviously, he’s very important for us. Just to have another guy that can attack and create for others and be the aggressor. Kind of take the pressure off Melo [Carmelo Anthony] and myself,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “Yes, we need him back as soon as possible, but we want to make sure he’s healthy.”