New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (4) Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Derrick Rose seems happy to no longer be playing for Tom Thibodeau

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 10/6/23

Derrick Rose was long associated with Tom Thibodeau, but the point guard seems to be happy to no longer be playing for his longtime former coach.

The New York Knicks declined their contract option for Rose in June, which made him a free agent. He quickly signed a two-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Rose will be playing under Taylor Jenkins for the Grizzlies. This comes after the guard played the last two and a half seasons under Thibodeau with the Knicks. Rose also played for Thibodeau on the Bulls and Timberwolves.

Rose was asked at Grizzlies training camp on Thursday about the differences between Knicks practices and Grizzlies practices. Rose politely said they’re run differently, and he seems to be happier with his new team.

Derrick Rose talks about the difference between the Knicks' and Grizzlies' practices

Also mentions how he likes the pace of the offense, and how the let the point guards initiate and run the offense pic.twitter.com/cVvqg6qaSi

— The 8th Hokage (@Air_Jay13) October 4, 2023

“These last two years, I had Thibs. So this one compared to Thibs is, don’t get me wrong we worked. But Thibs is more of like, how can I say it? It’s ran (sic) different. I’m just going to say that. It’s ran (sic) different. Here, it’s more smoother. It’s more fluent. And guys are really getting their work in. And that’s not saying the guys in New York didn’t get their work in.”

Rose also shared what he likes about Memphis’ offense.

“The pace. The way that they communicate. The way that they run the ball. The way that they give their point guards the ball to run the offense. The way that every guy, in certain spots, got the freedom to do what they want,” Rose said.

Rose played in 27 games last season and was out of the Knicks’ rotation. So it’s not too surprising that he’s more rosy about his new team than his last squad.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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