Knicks reportedly interested in re-signing Derrick Rose after last year’s experiment failed

After their 2016-17 season ended with a 31-51 record and missing the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, the New York Knicks could potentially bring the same team back in October.

The Knicks have “legitimate interest” in re-signing free agent point guard Derrick Rose, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley. The biggest factors in the Knicks’ interest, per Begley, is Rose’s health and price tag.

Rose had a successful 2016-17 season, averaging 18 points and 4.4 assists for the Knicks. But he publicly voiced his frustration with a Triangle Offense he called “random basketball.” Knicks president Phil Jackson said he will add players who complement the system he won 11 NBA championships with as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.

Writes Begley:

Sources say the Knicks have discussed several different scenarios with regard to filling the void at point guard -- both in free agency and via trade. The Knicks aren’t interested in paying large salaries for any free agent, which may be a sticking point in potential discussions with Rose and his agent, B.J. Armstrong.

Rose played 64 games, enduring a string of back injuries before a minor tear in his meniscus required season-ending surgery. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in July after collecting $21.3 million from New York last year.

The Knicks drafted Frank Ntilikina eighth overall in the June 22 NBA Draft, but the French guard is only 18 years old. He has to develop before being thrown to the wolves as a starter in the most competitive basketball league on the planet.

If the Knicks can get him at an affordable price, re-signing Rose provides New York with a capable guard to bridge the gap between now and the future.

This summer’s free agent pool features a group of vaunted floor generals, including Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Jrue Holiday, George Hill, and Jeff Teague. There’s about a zero percent chance any of those guys sign with a Knicks team seething in dysfunction and mediocrity.

A healthy Rose is naturally the next best available point guard. If he comes down from his price point, Rose could be what’s left in this summer’s market. Otherwise, the Knicks could be downgrading, and it wouldn’t be cheap, either.

At the beginning of the season, Courtney Lee thought the Knicks were winning a championship. Players swore they were making the playoffs. The confidence was there; the team just had to execute.

My, how seven months can change things.

The Knicks likely feel they under-performed with the players at their disposal. A roster with Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Lee is expected to compete for a playoff spot, at the minimum. New York couldn’t put together two straight wins after Dec. 23 and nagging injuries played a part.

With Lee, Porzinigs, and Joakim Noah under contract, and Anthony having yet to be traded, bringing back Rose would afford last year’s squad a shot at redemption.

From a player development standpoint, Rose’s presence stifled Porzingis. The 7’3 Latvian big man placed second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2016 and averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks for the Knicks last season.

But Porzingis’ offensive skill set showed little-to-no imagination. We saw him spot-up for 71 more threes last year than his rookie season as a byproduct of popping out after screens on Rose. We saw Porzingis resort to a crossover pull-up jump shot far too often. And we saw a player described as a basketball unicorn lost in a lineup led by two ball-dominant scorers.

The Knicks are going to run the Triangle whether you like it or not. But Rose admitted his own difficulty grasping the offense often throughout the season.

The Triangle thrives on selflessness, reading and reacting to what the defense throws at you. Rose is an attack-first guard who makes decisions after forcing the defense to collapse.

Why decree the team is going to run an offense then re-sign a player who doesn’t fit?

Rose didn’t suffer any huge injuries, but he didn’t have a clean bill of health, either. He missed a few games with nagging back injuries before his season was eventually cut short by a minor meniscus tear. (Not to mention he went AWOL for a game midseason.)

If the price isn’t right, there’s no need to commit to a player who can’t stay on the floor.

The Knicks are at a crossroads. They’ve upset their future star by hanging their current star out to dry. They drafted a point guard who’s 2-3 years from being NBA ready. And they’re building a roster for a system that could be gone when Jackson’s contract is up in 2019.

But one thing teams always need is talent, and if anything, Derrick Rose has that. He’d be the best available point guard if and when the Knicks miss on the marquee names, and Rose showed, at the least, he’s still a playmaking threat when he’s healthy.

For that reason alone, I give the Knicks a 40 percent chance at re-signing Rose this season. The options will be slim, and many remaining options could be considered a downgrade. And if the Knicks aren’t pressing the button on a full rebuild just yet, they might as well get the best available player.