You'd be hard-pressed to find a Bulls fan whose heart strings weren't tugged by the news that Tom Thibodeau and Derrick Rose will soon be reunited in New York after the Knicks traded for the Bulls' former MVP.
Jimmy Butler had a moment of light-hearted nostalgia when asked about the Thibodeau-Rose reunion after the Miami Heat's victory over the Knicks on Sunday.
"Thibs getting the band back together!" Butler quipped to reporters before bursting into laughter. "He getting the band back together. They're missing a couple pieces, but I think they'll figure it out."
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What they do have are Rose, Thibodeau and Taj Gibson after the Knicks signed the latter off waivers in January. Three staples of the early-2010s Bulls teams that mark the franchise's best stretch of success since the dynasty.
That trio likely isn't bringing championship -- or deep playoff -- magic to Manhattan, but the Knicks' 11-14 record and sixth-rated defense just over a quarter of the way through the season both exceed preseason expectations. Having played under Thibodeau and with Rose for five years in Chicago and parts of two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Butler is excited to see the tandem back together.
Especially given that the Knicks and Heat close out a two-game mini-series at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (though it would be a surprise if Rose were suited up).
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"Thibs is a hell of a coach. I've got so much respect for him. D-Rose is a hell of a player -- then, and a hell of a player now," Butler said. "He's gonna go in there with that winning mentality and keep playing the way he's been playing these last couple years.
"It's inspiring and it's really, really impressive to watch. So I hope he's (Rose) in that uniform we're playing on Tuesday."
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