Let’s assume that Derrick Rose indeed had a family emergency and that is why he went AWOL from the Knicks. You wouldn’t think that someone would make something like that up.
So, assuming it is true, the massive question that is out there is why didn’t Rose tell the Knicks before the game?
Until we know that, there will be a lot of questions. Here is what we know so far.
Knicks point guard Derrick Rose went missing from the team Monday without permission but later reached team officials, telling them he had a family situation and had returned to his hometown of Chicago, sources told ESPN.
Rose missed Monday night’s loss to the Pelicans, and the Knicks had grown concerned enough earlier to check on him at his apartment, sources said.
So, at some point Rose decided he was leaving, but he didn’t tell anyone to the point the team was concerned something very bad had happened to him.
Others believe this has more to do with Rose’s playing time and issues with Jeff Hornacek than a family emergency.
The Knicks, according to a source, were able to determine Rose wasn’t in any danger while scrambling to get their stories straight Monday. Publicly, they classified him as “not with the team,” and attempts from the Daily News to unearth his whereabouts went unanswered by Rose’s camp.
There has been friction between Rose and coach Jeff Hornacek — a circumstance exacerbated by Rose being benched the entire fourth quarter of Friday’s victory in Milwaukee — but it’s unclear if that contributed to Rose’s disappearance.
Here is what Yahoo had to say.
If it was a personal issue, why not say it? Why not tell Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek instead of forcing him to face the media with no answers. Here’s an industry secret about the “personal reasons” absence: Reporters often don’t dig too deep on it. Athletes are human, with real problems that need to be addressed. An isolated, unexplained absence for personal reasons wouldn’t have been met with much inquiry, even in a media-saturated town like New York.
The Knicks play again on Wednesday, in Philadelphia, and no one in the organization knows if Rose will be there. The team frantically searched for Rose on Monday, with some high-level staffers relying on Twitter for information. The organization will likely try to salvage the situation, to prop up Rose and hope he can contribute to the playoff push.
So essentially, what we know at the moment is the situation could have been handled better, but don’t expect Rose back with Knicks next season.
Flip the page for Jeff Hornacek comments on situation…