Today in unsurprising headlines: Derrick Rose has a knee issue. New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said that Rose has soreness and swelling in his knee, but he does expect Rose to play through it on Friday against the Miami Heat.
Jeff Hornacek said Derrick Rose has some soreness and swelling in his knee but he expects him to play vs. Miami on Friday.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 29, 2017
Rose has already missed time this year with a back strain, back spasms, a sprained ankle and a right foot injury, so adding a knee to the mix is unsurprising. At this point in the season, with the Knicks in a dead heat with the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings for the fourth lottery spot, one has to wonder whether playing Rose is a stealthy form of tanking.
Rose has a barely-average 17.0 PER, -2.0 box plus-minus and ranks 57th among point guards in real plus-minus. He can barely play defense and often jacks up bad shots in crunch-time. Throw a bad knee into that mix and it’s tough to justify starting Rose — at least if the goal is to win.