The Great Derrick Rose Mystery has been solved.
…kind of.
The former Bulls point guard and NBA MVP rejoined his New York Knicks team at their practice on Tuesday morning. As expected, there was a sea of reporters waiting for him after he mysteriously didn’t show up for the Knicks’ game against the Pelicans last night.
Family Matters
According to Rose, his absence last night had nothing to do with a reported rift between he and Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek after a recent 4th quarter benching. In fact, Derrick denied that such a rift exists.
Knicks reporter Al Iannazzone of Newsday Sports:
Rose also denied any rift with Hornacek.
— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) January 10, 2017
So where was Rose when he went AWOL last night? At home, with his mom.
Derrick Rose said he returned to Chicago because he needed to be with his mother.
— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) January 10, 2017
As for those reports last night from Adrian Wojnarowski and The Vertical stating team officials were unsuccessful in reaching Rose? Here’s his explanation for that:
Rose said he didn't want to pick up the phone when Knicks called. He needed his "space."
— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) January 10, 2017
It’s still unclear what exactly made Rose feel like it was necessary to fly home immediately. He didn’t make any mention of the current health of his mother, Brenda Rose. Brenda raised Derrick and his brothers by herself, and the two are incredibly close. That was movingly evident in his 2011 MVP acceptance speech.
Tough Times
Perhaps it was Derrick who needed the comforting from his mother, rather than the other way around. The Chicago native is having trouble adjusting to life in New York. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, being away from his son P.J. has been difficult.
Regarding Rose, told this isn't all of it but that being away from his son more is weighing very heavily on him.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 10, 2017
Here’s video from a segment of Rose’s meeting with the media earlier today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ_0FmnZCA8
The good news is that after last night’s moments of panic from Rose fans and the Knicks organization, he is accounted for and not hurt. The bad news, unfortunately for Rose, is that this is another rough spot in a tough stretch since being traded away from his hometown team last spring. He had to go to court after being accused of gang rape, and the trial took Rose away from his new teammates during training camp. The Knicks appear to be just as lost as the Bulls from a basketball standpoint, and many fans in New York are disappointed in the older version of the former MVP who showed up at The Garden. New York sports media and fans can be just as brutally unforgiving as those in Chicago, if not worse.
Rose’s image of humble hometown hero when he first flourished in the NBA is long gone. He’s never been great with the media, and this latest episode puts another dent in his public persona. But given the way he ignored his team’s phone calls while making his way home to see his mother, that’s clearly the last thing on his mind right now.
