New York Notes: Rose, Jackson, Lin, McDaniels

NBA agents are forecasting a disappointing free agent market for Knicks guard Derrick Rose, with one calling him “the next [Rajon] Rondo,” relays Fred Kerber of The New York Post. New York is considered unlikely to try to re-sign Rose, who has been a disappointment since being acquired in a trade with the Bulls last summer. The unidentified agent who compared him to Rondo said Rose will probably get a short-term deal from a bad team worth about $15MM per year. Another expects him to take less money to join a better organization, probably $8MM to $10MM or $10MM to $12MM annually.

One positive for Rose this season has been health, as he has appeared in 60 of the Knicks’ 69 games and is on track for the most he has played since a devastating ACL tear in 2012. “I really believe I worked my butt off this summer to hold up,” Rose said. “I had aches and nagging injuries [in the past]. This year I didn’t have that. Every game, it’s a fatigue factor, but as far as how my body’s feeling, my body’s holding up pretty well.”

There’s more today out of the Big Apple:

  • Most of the current Knicks aren’t comfortable in the triangle offense and would like to see the team abandon it, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. They believe the tight spacing makes it difficult to drive to the basket and say the offense results in a lot of contested shots. If team president Phil Jackson insists on running the triangle, he might have to overhaul the roster to make it work. There are also concerns that the young players who are learning the triangle will have to make a huge adjustment when Jackson leaves.
  • The Nets are finally enjoying the benefits of teaming Jeremy Lin with Brook Lopez, relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn was expecting the combination to be the core of the team after signing Lin last July, but injuries wiped out a major part of his season. The Nets are 7-11 with Lopez and Lin in the lineup together, but just 6-44 otherwise. “That growth is absolutely there, and I think it’s going to get exponentially better,’’ Lopez said. “That’s team-wise as well. When you really look at our situation, I don’t think we’ve all been out there at the same time. We’ve got some new guys who are coming in. They don’t know all the plays, they’re just getting thrown in the fire in the heat of the moment, but they’re producing. That bodes well for our future.”
  • Nets coach Kenny Atkinson has been happy with the play of K.J. McDaniels, who was acquired from Houston at the deadline, tweets NetsDaily.com. “He’s given us some quality minutes,” Atkinson said. “He’s a smart player, he can stretch the floor. I like his IQ and spirit.”
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