“There’s no bad blood”- Derrick Rose breaks silence on Tom Thibodeau’s exist from New York Knicks

Tom Thibodeau exited the New York Knicks after leading the team to its first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. Despite leading the team to consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995, he was sacked after they lost to the Indiana Pacers in a six-game series.

The move ended his five seasons with New York. His close friend, Derrick Rose, now spoke openly about the matter.

Derrick Rose breaks silence on Tom Thibodeau’s New York Knicks exit, calls the firing a surprise

Derrick Rose, a former NBA MVP and Chicago Bulls legend, has expressed his feelings regarding the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau by the New York Knicks. He recently opened up about this in an interview with DJ Siddiqi of Poker Scout. During the same, he expressed surprise at the transfer and provided insight into their continuing connection.He also said:“I think everybody was surprised. There’s no bad blood and he’s in great spirits out here on the East Coast, living life.”

Then, while talking about his strategy and the possible reason behind his termination, he said:"He put a lot of pressure on and that's why I love him because I've never wanted to crack -- I never wanted him to see me crack," says Rose. "He knew how good I was, and I wanted the challenge. He used to challenge me certain games about certain point guards or certain matchups.

I took on that challenge."The former NBA player continued:“When you’re around people like that, you don’t have any choice but to soak up the knowledge and to get better if you really want to be great.. I used to be in his office a lot, asking questions, looking at him, pushing myself, trying to please him.”

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For several years, including when they were with the Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose was coached by Tom Thibodeau. Playing for him in the 2010-11 season made the three-time All-Star guard the youngest MVP in NBA history. Talking about their relationship, he further said:“We just had a funny relationship, where on the court, we both wanted to win, win every game, and we knew how passionate each other was about the game of basketball… How much we both put into it, but we both have two totally different personalities, which a lot of people looked at as weird, but I loved our relationship. I love our relationship now.”Meanwhile, as the New York Knicks continue their hunt for Tom Thibodeau's successor, Derrick Rose’ remarks stood out as a reminder of the influence the seasoned coach has had on players from a variety of teams.Also read: NBA insider shares new details on surprising Tom Thibodeau’s exit from New York Knicks.