HOUSTON _ Derrick Rose called it "a blessing" that he is with his team and able to play in the Knicks' preseason opener Tuesday night. But he said he will leave the Knicks on Wednesday and fly to Los Angeles for his civil sexual assault trial.
Rose said he likely will have to miss some practice time depending on how long the case goes. Jury selection for the trial began Tuesday.
"Probably so, but all the coaches and the front office know," Rose said before the morning shootaround. "As long as they know, my teammates know _ I told them too what was going on and keeping them updated so everybody is on the same page _ so they're not worried about me. I wouldn't want them to worry about me because I'll be able to handle this."
Rose is being sued for $21.5 million by a 30-year-old woman who claims that he and two of his friends raped her in August 2013 while she was incapacitated after a night of drinking. He was a member of the Chicago Bulls at the time. Rose and the two friends say the sex was consensual.
At this point, Rose doesn't foresee settling the case.
"I haven't heard any of that yet," Rose said. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to take it to court because I didn't want to settle. I still haven't heard anything yet and I'll see tomorrow."
Rose, who turned 28 on Tuesday, said getting ready to face the Rockets and the fact that it is his birthday was "distracting." But he continues to seem unfazed by the lawsuit and pending case.
"All this is out of my control," Rose said. "Like I said from the beginning, I can only focus on what I have ahead of me. I'm here and it's the game.
"Like I said before I felt like I didn't do anything wrong. If I go up there and tell my side of the story, I think I'll be all right."
