Derrick Rose offered a delusional projection of where the Knicks stand in the NBA
The Knicks, centered around a core of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, traded for Derrick Rose, then signed Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings in free agency.
If all goes right, the Knicks, on paper, should certainly compete for the playoffs and seem to have a shot at ending a three-year playoff drought.
However, Rose recently told NBA.com's Lang Whitaker that he feels the Knicks and their upgraded roster are among the NBA's elite - right there with the Warriors. On expectations of this Knicks team, Rose said:
"[Expectations are] high. I mean, with these teams right now, they're saying us and Golden State are the super teams, and they're trying not to build that many super teams, and Adam Silver came out with the statement and this and that. And the expectations I think of us, we just want to win. ... When you've got a group like that, it's like, alright, I know everybody wants to do that, but we're going to break this down as simple as possible, and try to win every game."
Rose may need to tamper his expectations.
Yes, the Knicks' roster looks improved, but there are issues as well. The Knicks sacrificed some depth to build a somewhat top-heavy roster that's heavily reliant on two injury-prone players in Noah and Rose staying healthy. Anthony and Jennings, likewise, have had injury struggles in recent years. Should any combination of them go down at once, the Knicks may be running a MASH unit onto the court.
If healthy, the Knicks figure to compete for a playoff spot. But in the meantime, Rose may need to slow down on comparing them to the Warriors.