During the offseason, the New York Knicks made a surprising move by trading with the Chicago Bulls to obtain Derrick Rose. However, it seems the team is not regretting this decision since it is apparently considering getting Kirk Hinrich to serve as a reliable backup to the injury-prone Rose.
Earlier in June, the Bulls agreed to trade away Rose, Justin Holiday and a second-round pick for the 2017 Draft to the Knicks in exchange for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant. The New York organization then gave the starting position to Rose in the hopes that he would lead the team to a championship in the upcoming season.
However, after looking back at Rose's history with the Bulls, it seems the Knicks are starting to see that the athlete is a risky addition to their starting roster. For one, there's a strong possibility that he could get injured multiple times during his stay with the Knicks.
As a potential solution to this issue, the Knicks are reportedly looking at former Bulls shooting guard Hinrich, according to Basketball Insider. The Chicago franchise lost Hinrich earlier this year after engaging in a three-way trade involving the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks.
Aside from being former teammates, Hinrich served as the main backup of Rose during their time with the Bulls. In fact, during the 2012-2013 NBA season, Hinrich was the starting point guard of the team after Rose was ruled out due to an injury.
During his first year as a starter, Hinrich struggled a bit. But, in the following years, he improved after being given more playing minutes because of the absence of Rose. In fact, last season, his three-point percentage almost reached 39%, an impressive feat for a guy who's used to playing a backup.
His familiarity with Rose's game and veteran status are probably the main factors that the Knicks are considering in finalizing their decision to get him from the Hawks. With him on the lineup, they can be sure that they will be able to put in a reliable player just in case Rose's injury curse returns and sits him out for entire seasons.
