Derrick Rose’s disappearance on Monday was unexcused and inexcusable: one of the NBA’s highest-paid players, a former MVP, left his teammates, coaches and organization hanging without so much as a text message or Tweet. The Knicks, who had lost seven of their last eight, badly needed a win against the lowly Pelicans; instead, they suffered an unsightly loss on the court and then spent postgame trying to contain the damage caused by their lost point guard.
By Tuesday, Rose, who was benched down the stretch of recent games in favor of a former D-Leaguer, was back at practice without a clear explanation for his ghosting, saying only that he had abruptly returned to Chicago for family reasons.