New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose out vs. Hawks

 As the New York Knicks look to turn around their fortunes, they’ll have to do so without Derrick Rose on Sunday.

The New York Knicks have been beset by losing and off-the-court turmoil over the last month or so, and it seems like only a matter of time before Carmelo Anthony is traded. Point guard Derrick Rose has been a bit more productive recently, but a killer crossover by Hornets’ guard Kemba Walker on Friday left Rose with a sprained left ankle.

After Friday night’s game, Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said Rose could miss a few games. So it wasn’t surprising he was considered doubtful for Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks, and now Rose has been officially declared out.

Hornacek has said he doesn’t expect Rose to play Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards or Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets. The former No. 1 overall pick’s significant injury history is worth noting, as Rose has missed at least 16 games in each of the last five full seasons, and his mental toughness is routinely called into question.

The Knicks will have a few days between games at the end of this week, with two full days between Wednesday night and next Saturday night’s nationally game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. So Rose could return to play in that game, but it’s obviously hard to predict anything for him and injury bounce-backs with any confidence.

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For however long Rose is out, one game, two games or longer, Brandon Jennings is in line to start at point guard for the Knicks. Rookie Ron Baker is also in line for more minutes, after recently falling back out of the rotation. In any case, Rose’s absence will stretch out Hornacek’s bench at an importune time.