Derrick Rose Well-Suited to Phil Jackson's Plan That Progress Is Its Own Reward
Derrick Rose and Phil Jackson have something in common beyond being able to call the Chicago Bulls their former employer.
As major as their respective past successes have been, they've been humbled in recent years.
Each day isn't what it could be.
It's most definitely not what it used to be.
Dig deeper, though, and those who have spent a lot of time around both men in recent years have come away with a clear sense that they share a similar mindset.
Their general optimism and confidence remain.
And they ascended to past successes in the same way: staying in the moment, doing what they can with what's available, enjoying the journey over the destination.
That means doing the right thing in that moment—whether it feels as promising as 2011 or as hopeless as 2015—and trust that better days will follow.
A better day came Wednesday when the team announced Jackson's trade bringing Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round pick from the Bulls to the New York Knicks for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon.
Even better days may be coming in a matter of weeks for the Knicks, who are now in position to attract a top big man in free agency to position New York as an Eastern Conference contender.
Besides Hassan Whiteside and Al Horford's talent levels, there are truly meaningful probabilities. Pau Gasol loves Jackson and New York. Joakim Noah loves Rose and New York. And Dwight Howard is fond of both former Adidas brother Rose and Jackson, the coach he asked Los Angeles Lakers management to hire in '12.
It's not just Rose whom the Knicks got Wednesday. It's the legitimacy that comes with having his potential on the team. His value far transcends his injury risks when you understand Rose is part of Jackson's journey and not the end-all destination.
As much as Jackson has walked into ready-made situations in his glorious coaching career, this is the usual road in life: working daily toward growth and trusting that process eventually brings unspecified good fortune.
Where this makes added sense with Rose is Jackson is a sucker for a comeback story. Dennis Rodman is the most famous example Jackson guided to the light, but Jackson derives deep satisfaction from tapping into worth others no longer see.
Hence Jackson's willingness to spend what could be his cushy retirement trying to bring a Knicks franchise he loves back to prominence.
No longer can Rose meet Jackson's definition of an NBA superstar: a guy who dominates three games out of four. The analytics tell a harsh tale of Rose's reality last season: Of the 77 players who used more than 1,000 possessions, Rose was third-worst in scoring efficiency behind Rajon Rondo and Emmanuel Mudiay, according to Synergy Sports Technology.
That is skewed by an early stretch of season that saw him play with double vision thanks to a broken orbital bone. Still, it's a valid question whether Jackson is living in the past. Aside from Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks look a lot like an All-Star team from the era of Jackson's last NBA coaching days.
As motivated as this group will be for various pieces of personal redemption, it also is sure to require a togetherness class that we know Jackson can teach but aren't yet certain new Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek can.
Rose immediately lets Hornacek play faster with more early offense; then the Knicks can settle into the read-and-react half-court sets Jackson favors to maximize Carmelo Anthony and Porzingis.
Rose's high usage rate is a positive, not a negative, for Anthony now. It further paves the way for Anthony's transition to his next stage: not someone who competes for the scoring title, but someone who will make clutch plays at key moments.
Jackson is learning that front-office work isn't all splash landings such as re-signing Anthony and drafting Porzingis.
Signing Lopez was an example of the small move that was a pivotal step in the right direction. Lopez was not a hot free agent a year ago, but he was a good one—and Jackson signed him to a great contract, a key aspect of why Chicago wanted him.
Compare that to what Jackson's former team has done during its rebuilding years after failing to land Anthony: L.A. invested heavily in Lou Williams and Nick Young. Both are still owed two more years on their deals, but neither is the type of reliable player the Lakers can use as a centerpiece for a major trade.
Rose was on the block because he hasn't been a major player lately, either, but he is talented and has used the time to understand better how to allocate his energies in light of the lesser state of his body. Now he also gets an energy boost he has never known: a fresh start.
For their part, the Bulls made a logical shift—moving on from Rose before his free agency arrives in a year and fulfilling the strong-willed Jimmy Butler's wish for this to be clearly his team. Plus, they get a solid big man in Lopez with Gasol and Noah on the way out.
The Bulls have long been feeling it was time to give up the dream of the homegrown star Rose recapturing the past. The fans' shoulders slumped like nothing else from every Rose injury setback.
But unlike fellow Eastern Conference hopefuls Indiana (Jeff Teague, who's going to his hometown as an upgrade over George Hill) and Atlanta (No. 12 pick acquired, plus Dennis Schroder gets to show his upside), the Bulls in no way get better with this deal. Maybe if they can draw a superstar free-agent point guard in 2017 to join Butler, but it's hard to imagine that happening.
That's why the Knicks win today and tomorrow in this transaction.
Jackson is used to owning June moments. He's even stolen some thunder from the NBA Finals when he wasn't involved, getting hired by the Lakers on June 17, 1999, between Games 1 and 2 between the San Antonio Spurs and Knicks, and rehired by the Lakers on June 14, 2005, the day of Game 3 between the Spurs and Detroit Pistons.
This June day comes while the Cavaliers are celebrating their title. It also arrives with the Knicks still a long way from making it back to the championship round.
Yet as Rose and Jackson well know now, you just do the best you can…and trust it's taking you someplace good.
Kevin Ding is an NBA senior writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @KevinDing.
