Knicks' Derrick Rose Says He's Still Improving: 'May Sound Crazy, but It's True'

It's been 12 years since Derrick Rose won an MVP and 11 since he's been an All-Star. He's played a grand total of three minutes during the New York Knicks' playoff run.

That hasn't stopped his self-belief.

"I'm still in the mix," Rose told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. "It's like someone asking you to reflect on yours if you're still in the game. That's how I feel. I still feel like I'm giving them my all. I still feel like I'm getting better. It may sound crazy, but it's true. I still feel like I'm getting better."

Rose set career lows in nearly every major category this season, averaging 5.6 points, 1.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game while shooting 38.4 percent from the floor. Riddled by injuries that forever altered his career path, Rose has looked like a shell of his former self at age 34 and does not have a certain NBA future.

The Knicks hold a $15.6 million team option for the 2023-24 season. There is no realistic shot New York opts to pay Rose that salary, making him a free agent coming off the worst season of his career.

Tom Thibodeau may value Rose enough to bring him back as an end-of-bench veteran who can help instill values for the rest of the roster, but the overwhelming odds are his career as a meaningful on-court contributor is over.