Carmelo excited about Rose: 'I haven't felt like this in a long time'

Phil Jackson's plan to unite three aging, injury-prone stars might be fraught with peril, but everyone's choosing to look on the bright side for now.

Carmelo Anthony, for example, is thrilled to have a star point guard like Derrick Rose by his side with the New York Knicks. Although Rose isn't who he used to be, the electric attacker is the best point guard to play next to Anthony since Allen Iverson.

"I’ve never played alongside a guy like Derrick," Anthony told reporters Monday. "I’ve played alongside other point guards, different style, different type of point guards. To play alongside an explosive guy like Derrick, someone who can pick the pace up, who can push the pace throughout the course of the game, someone who’s a threat at that position.

"I think for me, the only thing that I can do is go out there and play basketball and enjoy playing basketball again and having fun with the game. I’m excited. I haven’t felt like this in a long time."

In previous seasons, Anthony has played alongside the likes of Langston Galloway and Jose Calderon - not exactly world-beaters. So if Rose can stay healthy, Anthony should benefit tremendously from playing beside someone who can break down the defense with his dribble-drives.

Then again, Rose has historically been a shoot-first point guard, so it remains to be seen how a go-to option like Anthony would respond to that. Also, despite Rose's athletic gifts, he hasn't exactly been a whirling dervish in transition in quite some time. Rose's teams haven't ranked above league average in pace since his sophomore year.

But at the very least, Rose could be great, and that chance alone has been enough to excite Anthony given how the last three seasons have gone.