Associated Press

When his hometown team took Derrick Rose No. 1 overall in the 2008 NBA draft, it seemed like Chicago was the perfect place for him.

As it turns out, however, there is a city that supposedly loves him even more: New York.

Rose was a three-time All-Star and the 2010-11 NBA MVP while playing for the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately, major knee injuries frequently kept him off the court in recent seasons. That led to the 27-year-old point guard's trade to the New York Knicks in a five-player deal earlier this summer.

That swap seems to be working out for Rose. The title-hungry fans in New York have given their new star an unmatched amount of support, and that's before he has ever stepped on the court in a Knicks uniform.

At least that's what he told the NBPA's Jared Zwerling:

I was feeling a lot of love. You feel that a little bit in Chicago, but it’s not on that level of New York, so it kind of makes you anxious to actually get on the court. It’s, like, ‘Man, they’re excited that I’m actually there.’ I haven’t even picked up a ball yet, I haven’t made a basket yet, and I can only imagine how they’re going to act when we start winning.

The Knick elaborated on his new fanbase:

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It’s a basketball culture there that’s missing. Our job is to bring that excitement back to the city. And it’s different playing there than actually being on the team, like the crowd there oohs and aahs for the little moves that you do when you’re on the opposing team. But when you’re on their team, they ooh and aah with everything. So I’m waiting for that excitement and just trying to be patient for it, because it’s going to be an exciting year I think for the whole city.

If he can help deliver a banner to Madison Square Garden (which shouldn't be too tough, given the Knicks are supposedly a "superteam"), he will forever be remembered in the Big Apple.