Derrick Rose Comments on Returning to Knicks After Civil Trial

New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose returned to his team Saturday after being found not liable in a civil lawsuit that accused him and two friends of raping his ex-girlfriend during the summer of 2013.

It ended a 17-day absence away from the team in which he was being sued for $21.5 million, as he spoke with Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com:

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The issue was a huge issue. I took it very serious. I'm a grown man. I put myself in this situation and I had to get myself out. I was focused the entire time. Out of all of this, the only thing that really hurt me was missing my son's birthday party, missing his birthday. Those were the two things that I was worried about the most. Not being there with my family ... it hurt. And being there for my son. That was the only thing. ... The only thing I could work on is being a better person, being a better dad, brother, cousin, uncle. Being the best I could be so I could help others.

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While Rose won the case, he expressed remorse for what happened: "There was another person that was involved in this. So, if anything, I've just been praying for myself and praying for her because the issue is very big in the States and everywhere. So just praying for everyone that was involved and knowing that all this is out of my control."

With the case behind him, Rose now must shift his focus to basketball and his first year with the Knicks after the Chicago Bulls traded him in June.

The 2010-11 league MVP said it felt "like heaven" to get back on to the court. He acknowledged that he is a changed man who is focused on the future.

Injuries have stymied the development of the the three-time All-Star's career, as he's played in just 166 out of a possible 410 games over the past five years.

Even though he fell out of favor in Chicago, Rose has averaged 19.7 points and 6.2 assists per game during his career. He implied that he can post similar numbers in New York, saying he has "a lot of confidence in my ability."

He could endear himself quickly to New York fans by leading the Knicks to the playoffs while playing like an All-Star.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.