BOSTON – Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said Derrick Rose is “itching to play basketball,” but the point guard’s first game won’t be until the season opener Tuesday in Cleveland.
A verdict in Rose’s civil sexual battery trial could come as early as Wednesday morning Pacific Time after the jury went into deliberations in Los Angeles. Rose isn’t expected to fly back until Thursday, when the Knicks finish up their preseason schedule in Brooklyn.
It is unlikely Rose would attend Thursday’s game as a spectator. Hornacek said he prefers Rose gets settled and the coaching staff will meet with him Thursday at the team’s Tarrytown headquarters.