Taj Gibson defends Derrick Rose, believes he is misunderstood

One of Derrick Rose’s former teammates is sticking up for him after a week of negative press.

Taj Gibson, who spent seven years with Rose in Chicago, thinks the New York Knicks guard is misunderstood and one of the best guys in the NBA.

“A lot of people misunderstand him because he’s really one of the best, one of the greatest dudes I’ve ever been around,” Gibson said Thursday ahead of Chicago’s meeting with the Knicks, via ESPN. “Off the court, personally. On the court, he’s a great guy. He’s never been negative. He’s never been as you quote, unquote say, a hater. He’s just an awesome dude, man. For real.”

Gibson didn’t expect Rose to disappear, though.

“I was surprised just like anybody else,” Gibson said. “It’s really hard to go missing in the NBA because you got so many people that’s going to check on you from agent, you got [team] staff, general managers, teammates, so it’s really tough, but you never know. Things happen.”

Still, Gibson is an unapologetic Rose supporter, chalking it up to the challenges of his career leading to him just being himself.

“I just feel Derrick has grown into his own,” Gibson said. “He doesn’t really care what people think anymore. Some players tend to go out and just say things … because they know what fans what to hear. He’s coming at you real, telling you how he feels. Because that kid’s been through a lot, hurting both knees, having the whole Chicago on his back from time to time. From heavy games to big games, I’ve been around him for a long time, and I’m proud of him. He’s going to take some critical hits sometimes, but he’s just being himself sometimes.”

Of course, Rose’s abrupt, unexplained absence earlier in the week put him in the news for all the wrong reasons. Gibson has no complaints with Rose, but he’s definitely looking at this incident from an outsider’s perspective.