The Knicks received a bunch of good news on Monday. Julius Randle returned to practice following the birth of his son. Also, it sounds like two injured Knicks, Nerlens Noel and Derrick Rose, were not limited at practice.
Derrick Rose (Ankle) and Nerlens Noel (knee) practiced in full today. Sounds like both will play Wednesday vs. Detroit in third preseason game.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) October 11, 2021
In case you missed it, Rose tweaked his ankle in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win over the Wizards. Rose himself didn’t think the injury was much to worry about in his post-game comments.
Derrick Rose says his ankle is “nothing serious at all, but I knew if I would’ve kept playing I would’ve made it worse.” Says he doesn’t play pickup so he’s just trying to “take my time…It was just a tweak. I didn’t twist it all the way."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) October 10, 2021
Given the fact that he was back on the court for full practice less than day twos later, that assessment seems accurate. Knowing head coach Tom Thibodeau’s disdain for resting players, it is logical to conclude we’ll be seeing Rose on the court Wednesday night when the Knicks take on the Pistons in their third preseason game.
Let’s pump the brakes a bit, though. Do we really need to see anything else from Derrick Rose Wednesday night...or this week, in general? Judging by the first two games, Rose is more than ready for the regular season. He has plenty of experience playing with bench mates Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks and Obi Toppin.
You know who could really benefit from some preseason game action? How about rookies Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride. They have been confined to mop-up duty thus far in the preseason. Wouldn’t it be cool to hand the backup point guard reins to IQ — who has been spectacular in preseason — and let Grimes or Deuce get in some work alongside the bench unit? I for one wouldn’t mind giving Grimes a look at the 3 spot, though McBride showed in Summer League that he can play off the ball as well. As much as I like watching the IQ/Rose/Burks trio demolish opposing benches, it would be nice to see something a little different. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
Derrick Rose is one of the keys to the Knicks’ plans to return to the playoffs this season — he’s also pretty old, with a lengthy injury history. Let the man rest, Thibs. Play the rookies a bit. It’s still only preseason, after all.
Loading comments...