Derrick Rose describes ankle injury as 'nothing serious'

Derrick Rose downplayed the ankle injury he suffered during the Knicks' preseason win over Washington on Saturday, as relayed by Marc Berman of the New York Post. Rose was dealing with the injury throughout the fourth quarter and left for the locker room with one minute remaining.

“It’s nothing serious at all, but if I kept playing I probably would’ve made it worse,’’ Rose said. “I think I probably did it myself. It’s the second game — all this is new, moving around, Thibs training camps are different. I just have to take my time. I’m getting older. I tweaked it but didn’t twist it all the way. Thibs understood [when I took myself out].’’

Rose is expected to serve as the Knicks' backup point guard behind Kemba Walker this season. He played a key role in the Knicks' success last season, averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 assists and 26.8 minutes per game in 35 contests.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

• Caleb Martin and Cody Martin are set to collide when the Heat play the Hornets on Monday, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes. The Martin twins spent the first two seasons of their careers with Charlotte, but Caleb inked a two-way deal with Miami this past summer.
• Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has been Chicago’s best shooter so far this preseason, Sam Smith of NBA.com writes. Ball shot 7-of-11 (63%) from three-point range in his first two contests, something that could become an important development due to Chicago’s roster. With teammates such as Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, Ball may find himself playing more off the ball than usual this season.
• Sixers guard Shake Milton sustained an ankle injury by stepping on Andre Drummond‘s foot on Sunday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. According to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice (Twitter link), Milton suffered a sprained ankle and will undergo further testing. He’ll miss Monday’s game against Brooklyn.