Derrick Rose Comments on Knicks Future, Russell Westbrook and More

New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose stated he'd like to spend the rest of his NBA career with the organization, but the three-time All-Star selection admitted the main focus right now is still getting his game back while also building chemistry within the revamped squad.

Peter Walsh of Slam passed along comments Friday from the league's 2011 MVP, who's showed some promising signs since the blockbuster offseason trade that ended his run with the Chicago Bulls. Rose discussed his short-term outlook and how it could impact the future:

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Finding out how we're going to win games, we got 10 new people on the team—it's not like they had a foundation here and we came right into it. We're building the culture. We're building the foundation now. I'm under a one-year contract so of course I want to play the rest of my life here. But it takes time, it takes patience to figure out how every one is going to fit, if it is going to fit and going from there.

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Rose is averaging 16.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 44.5 percent from the floor as the NBA season hits the quarter mark. Those numbers aren't all the way back to his peak production, but they represent a solid start to his Knicks career.

Perhaps the most important number is 19, though. That's how many games New York has played so far, compiling a 10-9 record in the process, and the guard has played in all of them. It's a great sign after a series of injury issues derailed his success with the Bulls.

The 28-year-old Memphis product explained to Slam he's taking the season step by step with hope all the parts of his skill set are back in time for a potential postseason appearance.

"Right now I'm attacking the rim," Rose said. "Second part of the season I'm going to have my jump shot. Third part of the season and the playoffs I'm going to have the trey ball. I'm working on pieces of my game so I'm improving and helping the team along the way."

Rose used to have a strong case as the best point guard in the NBA. He got a close-up look at one of the top contenders for that title right now, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, in a nine-point loss to OKC on Monday night. He came away impressed.

"This is the first time the league has seen something like this in a long time," Rose said. "It shows how hard he's working. It shows that hard work pays off."

The Knicks star put together one of his best performances of the season in that contest. He scored 30 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists, showing he's still capable of turning back the clock when his game is clicking on all cylinders.

New York is a team to watch as the season goes on. It will take a majority of the regular season to find a rhythm given all of the offseason changes, but the Knicks could be dangerous come playoff time if Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis are all healthy and in good form.