Rose: Chicago 'just got used to seeing me'
For only the second time in his life, Derrick Rose will be playing for a team not based in his hometown of Chicago. And it's one of the factors the freshly minted Knicks point guard refers to in explaining why he feels more appreciated in New York at the moment.
"In Chicago, I think they just got used to seeing me," Rose said Tuesday, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "Ever since I was in grammar school. Then six or seven months I spent at (the University of Memphis), and I came right back to Chicago."
When Rose was selected No. 1 by the Bulls in the 2008 draft, it was a storybook moment for the youngster who grew up on Chicago's troubled South Side, becoming a teenage basketball prodigy right before the city's eyes.
Eight years, one NBA MVP award, three significant knee surgeries, and a sexual assault lawsuit later, the soon-to-be 28-year-old Rose finds himself in Gotham, maintaining he can still play at the elite level he did before his initial 2012 ACL tear.
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"I think I can still reach that prime, but I think they just got used to me," Rose said of the Chicago fans. "That's no knock against them. I can't get mad at them or hold a grudge against them. All I can do is just work on my game and hope that they continue to look."
New teammate Carmelo Anthony is pulling for Rose to return to that level, and has expressed excitement at playing alongside the former All-Star.
"I'm more excited for him than I think he is for himself," Anthony said Tuesday. "I love kind of comeback stories. I love when guys are always counted out, backs up against the wall, and they have an opportunity to go out there and prove themselves. You can just see a different Derrick than what you've seen over the past couple of years.
"You can just look at it. The look is on his face. You can just see it."