Dwane Casey Had a Hall of Fame Cold Take When the Pistons Traded Derrick Rose to the Knicks
The Detroit Pistons traded Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round pick back in February. Rose had requested the trade because he wanted to be on a playoff team.
During an appearance on SiriusXM's NBA Radio, Dwane Casey said that he had told Rose he thought he had as good a chance at the postseason in Detroit as New York. At the time both teams had losing records, but the Pistons were 4.5 games behind the Knicks. Time has only made this sound more ridiculous.
?@DetroitPistons Head Coach Dwane Casey describes to @talkhoops, @badboyhorn44, & @LegsESPN the conversation he had with Derrick Rose days before his trade to the #Knicks #DetroitUp #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/d9Mk4afsEW
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) February 10, 2021
“Derrick, you may have a chance here just as much as they do in New York.”
It's been a long two months in Detroit. The Pistons currently have the third-worst record in the NBA and the Knicks are the toast of the NBA town having climbed so high up the standings they could have homecourt advantage for a playoff series.
Casey should be applauded for the way he handled the situation. He tried to sell Rose on staying, but ultimately acquiesced and sent him somewhere he wanted to go. It may not have translated to any wins, but it's the kind of situation where if a team doesn't help a player, it can hurt them as a destination in the long term. That's how you get a reputation that you can spend decades fighting.