Before Derrick Rose made his first appearance on Tuesday against the Miami Heat after being acquired on Super Bowl Sunday, head coach Tom Thibodeau doubled down on why the New York Knicks decided to bring him back to the Big Apple.

Thibodeau, who called Rose one of the “elite players in the league,” coached the veteran guard when he was on the Chicago Bulls. It's also no secret he likes to bring back his old players after the Knicks signed Taj Gibson in January. What helps Thibs is the fact that he knows what kind of a player Rose is from their familiarity with each other earlier in his career.

“It’s obviously someone I’m familiar with,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks-Heat game, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. “We’ve been through a lot of things together. But the biggest part is what I felt he could contribute to our team. I’ve always been partial to good players. If someone is a good player I’m interested. And I think he’ll add a lot to our team. I know his character. I know the type of teammate he is.

“He’ll accept any role. You can start him, you can bring him off the bench, You can play him short minutes, long minutes. He’s telling me this is as healthy as he’s been.”

While Derrick Rose can still contribute and play quality minutes, calling him elite is a far cry from the Rose fans all came to know and love when he was in Chicago. After sending Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons, Tom Thibodeau got an old friend back and adding him into the rotation should be seamless.

Unfortunately, minutes for guys like Austin Rivers and Immanuel Quickley might be affected by this acquisition, as the Knicks battle for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2021.