New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose told reporters Wednesday that he doesn't care whether or not he makes the All-Star Game this season -- he'd like that time off -- but he still intends to vote for himself, via Newsday's Al Iannazzone. That's a bit of a weird one.
The NBA announced on Monday that, for the first time, this year's All-Star starters will be determined by players and media in addition to the usual fan vote. Luckily for Rose and his potential vacation plans, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which any of those groups determines that he's one of the two best guards in the Eastern Conference.
Rose has generally been what the Knicks wanted him to be this season -- a player who can get in the paint consistently and draw defensive attention. He has made just 23.5 percent of his 3-pointers, though, and his defense has been poor. There's no way to look at his production and say he's on the same level as guys like Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, John Wall and Kemba Walker.
After all of Rose's injuries, it's not damning to say that he's not one of the conference's top point guards anymore -- the mere fact that he's playing well enough to be a starter in the NBA is impressive. It will be interesting, though, to see what happens in July. That's when the contract he signed in 2011 will expire and the open market will determine what this version of Rose is worth. It looks unlikely that he will ever play like an All-Star again, but perhaps the better question is whether or not anybody will pay him like one.
