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Detroit Pistons: Small haul but Derrick Rose trade will pay off later

By Stuart London

Derrick Rose #25 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Derrick Rose #25 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Dennis Smith Jr. Killian Hayes
Dec 13, 2020; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes (7) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. (4). Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Pistons doing Derrick Rose a solid?

The New York Knicks is a perfect landing spot for Derrick Rose at this stage of his career. The Knicks coach, Tom Thibodeau, was Rose’s coach during his MVP season in Chicago and later on in Minnesota.

New York in the preseason was projected to be worse than the Pistons, yet they find themselves battling for a playoff berth with a surprising 11-14 record and ninth place in the Eastern Conference (top 10 make it this season).

New club president Leon Rose knows the Knicks fans are tired of hearing about rebuilding, they want to see the team actually win at least half its game and make the playoffs.

They also have a young guard in Immanuel Quickly who could use some mentoring. Rose was excellent in lending a guiding hand to Detroit’s young guards.

While the trade deadline is not for six more weeks, the quicker Rose gets acclimated to the Knicks, the better for him and the team. Of course, the Pistons are not here to send a player wherever they may like, whenever they feel like it.

However, there are some mitigating factors with Derrick Rose:

  • His contract expires at the end of the season, so he was not going to be part of the future.
  • Rose has been a super good soldier. Never complaining about not starting or playing time, a real good role model.
  • Who knows what the trade market will really be in late March. Maybe there will be a lot of buyouts that dilute the market. And Rose has a long injury history, it is not a sure thing he will be healthy at that time.

So Weaver took an OK deal from the Knicks instead of waiting for a knocks-your-socks-off offer to come along later. The Pistons got something for a player who was never going to be part of the future and Rose lands in a happy place for him.

Before the Nets game on Tuesday night, coach Dwane Casey, in so many words, said that the Pistons were doing Rose a favor by sending him to the Knicks. (courtesy Omari Sankofa II):

"“We had a great mutual understanding of where he was, where we are, and what he had to do for himself and his family … Troy did a good job of accommodating him and getting an asset back for him and getting an opportunity to have a player like Dennis (Smith).”"

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