Derrick Rose – who is facing a rape lawsuit that contains disturbing evidence about his actions – was the subject of a puff piece on the National Basketball Players Association’s website. (This is what unions do.)
In it, the point guard discussed his trade from the Bulls to the Knicks.
Jared Zwerling of the NBPA:he felt awakened by New York the day before his introductory press conference on June 24. The fans captured his attention, from walking on the street (“Yo, D-Rose, we can go to the playoffs,” a passerby said) to Philippe for dinner to ending the night at 1Oak nightclub (“Welcome the newest member of the Knicks, Derrick Rose,” the DJ shouted over the mic).
The next day when Rose drove by Madison Square Garden on his way to his presser, he took a photo from inside the car of the MSG Marquee, which said “Welcome, Derrick Rose,” and had a customized photo of himself on the digital board. The Knicks showed him in his new No. 25 uniform.
And who was the first noteworthy Knicks representative Rose met at the Garden that day? Popular die-hard fan and filmmaker Spike Lee, who told him, according to Reggie, “I’m here if you need me. Now you’re a Knick and I love you as a player. You’re one of my own now.”
“I was feeling a lot of love,” Rose said. “You feel that a little bit in Chicago, but it’s not on that level of New York, so it kind of makes you anxious to actually get on the court. It’s, like, ‘Man, they’re excited that I’m actually there.’ I haven’t even picked up a ball yet, I haven’t made a basket yet, and I can only imagine how they’re going to act when we start winning.
Rose repeatedly said he wanted to spend his entire career in Chicago, where he was born and raised. Did he intend to say so explicitly that New York embraced him more? Did he not choose his words carefully enough?
Another question: Should the city that sent Rose more love or less love feel better about its standing?