New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose wasn't uncomfortable attending Game 4 of the Chicago Bulls best-of-seven series against the Boston Celtics in his old stomping grounds at the United Center.
The Chicago native enjoyed a front-row baseline seat along with his son P.J. — witnessing the chants of MVP! MVP! this time going toward his former teammate Jimmy Butler, who has asserted himself as the leader of the team.
“If I was by myself, it might be a little bit weird. But I’m with him,” Rose told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, pointing to his son. “He makes it a lot easier. I look at it all that happened in the past. The memories will always be there. My heart is still here when I visit. I just love basketball, so I had to watch.”
Rose received a warm ovation from the crowd when he spotted on the video board along with several former Bulls players, the likes of big man Horace Grant, shooting guard Ben Gordon, and all-time great Scottie Pippen, who is often a fixture at the United Center.
“I just wanted to show him a good time. That was it,” Rose said. “It seemed like a good series and I just wanted to be around a playoff atmosphere.”
Rose's future is a huge question mark after sustaining a late-season knee injury, making a return to New York even more doubtful than before due to his fragile body.
“I’m going into it with an open mind and will listen to everyone,” Rose said regarding free-agency, leaving the door open for a possible return to The Big Apple. “Last season sucked losing. But it was a great experience. I loved the guys that I played with and I loved the coaching staff. And who wouldn’t like playing in New York? It was great.”
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