Former league MVP Derrick Rose felt like he had a reunion of sorts as he was traded to the New York Knicks from the Detroit Pistons.

Per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Rose said “I still can't believe it. It's family here. I got Wes [William Wesley, senior vice president] here. I got Thibs [Tom Thibodeau, head coach]  here. I got everybody I had success with basically here… I want to be a mentor and help develop them and show I can still hoop a little bit.”

During his February 9 debut with the Knicks, Rose put up 14 points, one rebound, three assists, a steal, and a block in around 20 minutes. Thibodeau has a preference for playing veterans he has some level of familiarity with. Recently, the Knicks acquired big man Taj Gibson, who played for Thibodeau during his stint with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. The veterans can serve as mentors to New York's young, talented players, such as  Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and rookie Immanuel Quickley.

While Rose is far removed from his MVP days, when he was an explosive athlete, he is still a serviceable player. Acquiring Rose is a gamble on the part of the Knicks, as he has an extensive injury history and could steal some minutes away from their younger guards. But with aspirations of making the playoffs, New York has an 11-15 record, which puts them on the outside looking in. This is still a long season and if the Knicks play their cards they might make the playoffs for the first time, since the 2012-2013 season.