No Rose-y future likely for Kemba
MIAMI — When the formal part of the Knicks’ morning shootaround ended at FTX Arena on Tuesday, coach Tom Thibodeau huddled on the sidelines with rehabbing Derrick Rose for a 10-minute conversation.
It was a sign Rose’s ankle is getting closer, a sign how much Thibodeau still loves his former Bulls point guard, a sign that when he does make his return, the starting job could be his. You just have to read between the lines.
Kemba Walker was to start for the fourth time in five games Wednesday aganst the Heat, after his latest return from a tweaked knee during pregame warm-ups on New Year’s Eve.
Even if Walker survives the Feb. 10 trade deadline, all signs point to Walker’s status being tenuous, that he’s holding down the fort for Rose’s return. Even the Bronx native and three-time All-Star will admit nothing is stable.
“I feel good — feeling good at the moment,’’ said Walker, wearing a thick knee pad on his left knee. “It’s tough, especially for me. I’m a competitor. I love to play basketball, want to be on the court as much as I can. This is something I’ve been dealing with for a few years now. Trying to look out for myself. I want to be able to play for some more years down the line. I’ve got to take it day by day.’’
Day by day, it is. It was in late November when Thibodeau pulled the plug on Walker after 20 games and banished him to the 15th man to start Alec Burks. Walker did not play for nine straight games before a slate of COVID-19 absences relaunched him Dec. 18 in Boston. He’s had his moments — just not enough.
One NBA scout said Walker just doesn’t impact the game enough like he did in Charlotte.
Asked if Walker is entrenched as starting point guard, Thibodeau said, “Yeah, it’s how he’s feeling. As long as he’s managing the knee now, we’ll see how it goes. He feels good. So that’s a good sign.
Rose is on his first road trip since his Dec. 24 ankle surgery when the Knicks announced he’d be out at least two months.
Thibodeau said Rose just started a “next phase” of his rehab, increasing from stationary shooting to jump shots, though the coach cautioned, “not like a normal jump shot, but he’s doing more.
“He’s moving around a little bit more,’’ Thibodeau said. “He’s in the next phase of what he can do. He hasn’t been part of practice yet. Eventually he’ll get to the point of doing the non-contact part of practice. The final step is the contact part of practice, and we’ll go from there.”
After returning for two games, Nerlens Noel was out again with knee soreness. He’s played just 20 games this season after missing all of the preseason.