On the Thursday edition of NBA Crossover with Nick Kostos, Raja Bell, Kaileigh Brandt and Rip Hamilton, Bell said that he has "never heard anything like" the situation that unfolded this week with Derrick Rose leaving the New York Knicks on Monday before their loss to the Pelicans without notifying the team and effectively going AWOL for several hours.
Rose left the team and traveled to Chicago to be with his mother and son, though it's not clear whether that was due to a situation with them. He returned to the Knicks on Tuesday and was subsequently fined by the team.
"I've got 20 years of playing basketball and have never heard of anything like that," Bell said.
Both Bell and Hamilton expressed concern for Rose's well-being, as it seems the Chicago native is in some serious emotional turmoil. Rose is reportedly struggling with being away from his young son who remains in Chicago after the former All-Star was traded to New York last June.
Hamilton and Bell did assert that while the Knicks appear to be a mess, it was too early to blow it up, however:
The Knicks, at 17-22, are still just 2.5 games out of eighth place in the East. Making the playoffs seems like a low goal for what this team thought of itself going into the season, but in reality, it's a major step forward for the franchise. That's what's baffling about this situation:
The Knicks aren't that bad!
They're a terrible offensive team and there are a lot of holes there. But they are not a bottom dweller. They're not making it out of the first round, but so what? They are building toward something, as much as they can with their limited assets. This Rose situation is not really part of their overall malaise, either. It's an outlier revolving around Rose's own emotional state. They have bad chemistry and a limited set of options, but there are worse teams.
There's no reason to freak out about the Knicks. They're the best team they can be. Their problem, and that of most perceptions on them, is the idea that they can or should be more.
