Few in the NBA are as much a creature of habit as Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
The former Bulls coach preaches routine on a daily basis. No exceptions.
That’s how special Derrick Rose is to Thibodeau.
He was the exception Saturday.
Despite playing an emotional game in Oklahoma City less than 24 hours earlier, Thibodeau saw his routine thrown out of whack on “Derrick Rose Night,” including an extended 25-minute halftime in which Rose was honored in front of a sold-out crowd at the United Center.
“All his teammates came back to celebrate him, the city, the fans but also the entire NBA,” Thibodeau said. “You have to have a strategy for everything, whether it’s a late start, an early start, an extended halftime.
“In terms of Derrick, we’re thrilled that he’s being honored. Grateful to Jerry and Michael [Reinsdorf] for recognizing him the way they have.”
That extended halftime was worth every minute. Rose teammate and longtime Bull Joakim Noah captured the moment by speaking from the heart, bringing Rose to tears during the ceremony by telling him, “You’re not only the MVP, you’re the people’s champ.” There was a video tribute, then, of course, the usual chants of “MVP, MVP” from the fans.
Rose then spoke and thanked everyone for the evening, hugging family members, teammates, friends and even Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, whom Rose mentored when Brunson was growing up around the Bulls family with his father, former Bulls assistant coach Rick Brunson.
But when all the pageantry was wrapped up, there was still an NBA game to finish, and, boy, did the Bulls finish it. After seemingly sleepwalking through the first half, the Bulls’ defense dug in for the third quarter. The Bulls outscored the Knicks 41-17 in the quarter to take control.
Zach LaVine and Coby White led the Bulls (16-19) with 33 points apiece in the 139-126 victory over the Knicks, but White was the standout with a career-high nine three-pointers. He went 9-for-11 from long range.
Josh Giddey continued his turnaround with 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and was a plus-10.
Not in the cards
There were rumors the last few seasons that Rose and the Bulls would try to reunite for one last go or at least let Rose announce his retirement as a Bull, but Rose said the timing never worked out.
He finished with the Grizzlies and has no regrets.
“Nah, I go with the flow,” Rose said. “At the time [I decided to retire], I was preparing for the next season, and the time I had off with [son] PJ and the kids this summer was, like, life-changing. You started to see what each kid needed.”
Stepping back
Before the game against the Knicks, coach Billy Donovan gave an update on Ayo Dosunmu’s injured right calf. It wasn’t great news.
Donovan said they tried to ramp up Dosunmu’s activity in the rehab, but he experienced some soreness, so they put a halt to it.
He wouldn’t call it a setback, just a sign that Dosunmu wasn’t ready to take that next step in the process.
The hope was to try again during the middle of the week. It was the fifth consecutive game Dosunmu has missed with the injury.
Besides Dosunmu, the Bulls were without Torrey Craig, who was still dealing with a bruised right leg. Donovan did not offer a specific timetable for his return.