New Knicks point guard Derrick Rose takes a shot at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: How hungry or driven are you to approach the kind of elite player you were?

A: I’m always driven. I’ve always been driven. I always had the underdog mentality, no matter where I was at in my career. But going through the injuries, you could be down. At one point, I wanted revenge and all that, but actually just going through it, I’m taking it as a challenge. I’m putting in all the work that I’m putting in, I’m doing everything I could do to actually get back to that player, but it takes time. It takes patience.

That’s what I think I developed over these last couple of years is patience. Like dealing with everything I was dealing with. Being 23, 24 at the time, having the injuries, learning who I was becoming as a man, having a son, being the man of the household, taking care of my family, I was doing that at a young age, at 19. So having all that on my plate and just trying to find my identity in this world, I’m taking it all as a challenge now.

Q: Do you miss being that MVP player?

A: No. I know I could become better. … I was a dumb player at the time.

Q: Then how did you get to become MVP?

A: I was reckless. … I wasn’t being smart. I wish I never dunked the ball. … I was playing too fast, I wasn’t changing up my speeds. I wasn’t reading the game right. And I think my IQ of the game wasn’t as high as it is right now. I feel like I’m more in control. I’m more balanced.

Q: How would you describe your on-court mentality now versus when you were that reckless MVP?

A: I think I’m able to read the NBA game a lot better, and pick and choose my spots. When I was younger, I was trying to figure out the league. I was still trying to figure what type of player I was gonna become. And now, I feel like with the IQ that I have and with the experience I have after playing nine years, I could really go out there and pick and choose my spots, instead of just going out there shooting shots trying to win the game.

Q: So what does drive you now?

A: Greatness. I think it drives everybody. Being obsessed with greatness. … Not only in basketball, but in life, period. I watch a lot of documentaries. I just always have that curiosity of what ticks people to dedicate their whole life to one thing.

Q: Have you studied other athletes at all?

A: I wouldn’t say studied, but observe and try to watch as close as possible.

Q: Who would you try to watch?

A: People like Pele, people like Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, like Bobby Fischer (smile). I try to see what ticks people and makes ’em obsessed with whatever their interests are.

Q: What has been the criticism of your game you think was the most unfair?

A: That’s been my whole career being in Chicago. I’m from the South Side, I used to go on the West Side and people used to say that I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t do that. I’ve been hearing ever since I was in sixth grade, in my own town. So I’m used to it. But, at the same time, when people critiqued me like that, it let me know that I have some type of ability that most don’t have, if you’re critiquing everything that I do. This league is full of people that specialize in certain areas. I’m an all-around player, so when you critique one part of my game, it lets me know that I’m great.

Q: Was your on-court mentality as a young player similar to Russell Westbrook’s?

A: It’s different with Wes. Wes plays with some type of meanness to him, mean streak to him. I never played with a mean streak to me, I just played to play. I can’t play that way, upset or mad. Wes seems like he thrives off that. When I’m on the court, I’m a totally different player. I don’t know where it comes from, I don’t know what it is but, I don’t know, it’s some type of confidence level in me just knowing how hard I work. If my mean streak is a Chicago way of playing basketball, like not backing down. We use the term “not going.” Like I’m not backing down away from no challenge. I play to win, then it comes out in that way.

Q: He plays more like Mike Tyson.

A: Yeah, something like that.

Q: During all of the rehabs, what was the low point?

A: I think all of them had some type of low point to them, but the process of getting up in the morning, I hate. I’m not a morning guy. So getting up in the morning, just knowing that you gotta work out every single day.

Q: Did you say, “Why me?”

A: You go through that here and there, but that’s when faith kicks in. I feel like everything that happened in your life, it happened for a reason. And me having faith in whoever’s watching me above, I know that I’ll be good, like I know that I’m blessed, I know that I’m here for a reason. I know that I’m spiritually stable and financially stable. I know I’m stable for a reason, you know?

Q: You never doubted you would make it back?

A: Never. Never.

Q: Murray Park was also known as Murder Park. What was the worst thing you ever saw?

A: The worst thing I ever saw was someone getting pistol-whipped in the park. Like someone stole from a neighbor a few blocks away from where I lived.

Q: Have you ever seen anybody shot and killed?

A: Not in the park, no, but in my neighborhood, yeah.

Q: What was that like growing up watching something like that?

A: Traumatizing. I saw my brother’s best friend die. Just seeing him like bleed out in front of you, and just being like helpless, no one can do anything for him, that was traumatizing. To tell you the truth, that was kind of regular in my neighborhood.

Q: How good were the games in Murray Park?

A: Oh, they were good. They were very competitive. The younger guys couldn’t get on the court. I was probably the only kid in my neighborhood to get on the court and play with the older guys, so like all my friends used to stand around the court and cheer me on whenever I used to go out there and play, and I’ll score, they’ll start like cheering for me, yelling for me, talking smack to all the older players that I’m actually like a kid out there scoring on the older guys (smile). I was probably the only kid that could play with the older guys.

Q: Describe your 4-year-old son, P.J.

A: His personality is totally different than mine. He’s an outgoing kid.

Q: Well then I’ll do a Q & A with him, why am I wasting my time with you for?

A: You should, yeah yeah yeah, you should, man (chuckle). He’s built for the spotlight, and that’s something in which I’m not built for.

Q: You were the No. 1-overall pick in the draft. What was that like for you?

A: My whole life I’ve been hearing like, “You have to be accustomed to the attention, be accustomed to all the fame,” and all that, but that’s something that I’ve done in the past and got used to over the past, but that’s not who I am. Being at 28 years old, I figured that out like a couple of years ago going through all my injuries that I’m just not built for it, but it’s my profession, and so I can’t whine and complain about it.

Q: And you started your career in Chicago and now you’re in New York …

A: I’m a loner. I stay to myself sometimes. It’s just who I am. And being 28, I could finally say that now when I was younger, I was learning the NBA, I was learning who I was as becoming a man, and now with me having a kid, it kind of dawned on me, I’d never be the guy that loves attention or the fans.

Q: How painful was losing that 2008 NCAA championship game to Kansas when you were at Memphis?

A: Very painful. Very painful. I mean literally. You know the fireworks that go off, like after they win? The s–t burns you. That’s what people don’t know. Like when the fireworks go off, the fire from the fireworks actually come down and burn you if you’re like walking off the court. So literally, it’s painful (laugh).

Q: John Calipari, what makes him Coach Cal?

A: His personality. His will to win. I think this is with every man — his ego. He loves to have good teams. And when his teams are playing good, he creates an environment where it’s you-against-everyone. We were in Memphis, little Memphis, and he created the mentality where it was us-against-the-world.

Q: Do you think he’ll ever come back to the NBA?

A: I hope not.

Q: Why?

A: He has the world in his hands down there in Kentucky. I don’t see why he would leave, like the way Kentucky is treating him, and the freedom and the happiness he’s having … like his son is playing for his team. What more can you ask for?

Q: What was it like when he recruited you?

A: I always tell people, like, he tricked my mom (laugh). He was bring so nice with my mom. Derrick Kellogg, he was an assistant at Memphis at the time, him and Coach Cal came into my house. Coach Cal was acting kind, nice, talking to her polite. I got to Memphis, and he was talking to me the totally opposite. He was cursing me out every day, like trying to kick me off the floor if he thought I wasn’t going hard enough. But at the same time, that’s his way of pushing his players, and I didn’t understand that when I first got there, but when I got used to him, I understood where he was coming from.

Q: He was sweet-talking your mom?

A: He did everything perfect (smile).

Q: What is your favorite Bulls memory?

A: Getting the [2010-11] MVP trophy.

Q: Describe Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek.

A: Coach Horn is an old-school type coach. He allows players the freedom to go out there and play the way that they want to play.

Q: What is it about Kristaps Porzingis’ game that really impresses you?

A: He’s always working. He’s never satisfied.

Q: He’s kind of like a freak, isn’t he?

A: Yeah, to be that mobile at 7-3. It’s a lot of guys that come in the league and change the league, but to be 7-3 though as like a center and be able to move and be that mobile, and just his balance. He doesn’t even run like a 7-3 guy. He runs like he’s a small forward, and plays and does moves, step-backs like he’s a small forward. I think he’s the first guy at that length on this league that we’ve ever seen move that way.

Q: What have you learned about Carmelo Anthony as a teammate maybe you didn’t know?

A: He’s very vocal. Like he wants to win. Like his will to win. Coming in the locker room, getting on guys, always being that voice on the huddles just letting guys know, “This is what we have to do, and this is how we’re gonna do it.” That’s something that I’m learning, like I’m a quiet guy. I always led by example. And for me, being vocal, that’s the next step for me, so it’s good to have him around.

Q: Describe Knicks fans.

A: The greatest in the world, to tell you the truth. They really know basketball. It’s different when you go in an arena and sometimes you hear chatter, like it’s not even about the game. The chatter is about business, lunch, where they’re going after the game. You don’t hear that here a lot. Like you hear a lot of fans that are into the game, telling the players what they need to do or what they should be doing on the floor. I just love to hear it just to get the feel for the crowd, and that’s what they have here.

Q: Have they embraced you from Day 1?

A: It seems like it. My job here is just to win, by any means. I don’t care about my average, I don’t care about my stats at all, I’m just here to help Melo and the other guys to win and push the team as far as we can, and try to rebuild this culture here.

Q: What was it like the first time you ever played on the Garden floor?

A: I was nervous. I was in high school. We played Rice, we played Kemba [Walker] and them in high school here. I played here in college, I felt the same way, and even as a pro my first time stepping on the court, you’re nervous.

Q: Who was your boyhood idol?

A: I didn’t have one. It was my mom. If I had an idol, it would have been her. My brothers, they were around here and there, they’re a lot older than I am. My mom had me when she was 34. My two oldest brothers were out of the house, and my third oldest brother was around, but not like that.

Q: Your grandmother helped raise you.

A: My grandmother passed when I was in sixth grade. She was a kind woman. She was like anybody’s grandmother — always be the one that protect you from being whupped (smile) from your moms. I’d run to her whenever I got in trouble, and we lived with her. My grandmother was too kind, a lot of people walked over her, so my mom took the approach where she saw her mom getting walked over and she said that she wasn’t gonna allow people to do that to her.

Q: Your father was never in the picture. Do you know where he is or do you have any relationship with him?

A: No, to tell you the truth, sir, I think he probably passed away. I haven’t heard anything from him, and I think by now, with me being where I’m at in my career, I think if he was alive, he would have reached out or something.

Q: You live in the city. Do you like it?

A: Love it.

Q: Why? You’re a loner. You’re a quiet guy.

A: Yeah, yeah, But I’m able to move around. I’m 6-2, 6-3, I’m not 7-feet tall like Joakim [Noah]. I’m able to move around with a hood on or a hat on to get around the city like an average person. And in Chicago, I really didn’t have the freedom to do that. So being here, they’re used to the celebrity here.

Q: Superstitions?

A: Before games, I don’t eat that much. I put on my shoes a certain way. Taking my supplements at a certain time, drink my energy drinks at a certain time. Little things like that.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, my grandmother.

Q: New York pizza?

A: Love it.

Q: Favorite pizza spot?

A: I order from Artichoke a lot, and I had a lot of people tell me about Joe’s Pizza.

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Leonardo [DiCaprio].

Q: Favorite entertainer?

A: Tupac.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Linguini with marinara sauce and grilled chicken.

Q: Describe the Garden of Dreams experience this week with Michael Young, a boy who suffers from leukemia.

A: It means a lot, especially when a kid is a fan of yours, with me having a son too. I get worried when he has a cold, or when he falls or when he hurts himself, so let alone he has leukemia and you have to take him in for treatment. I can only dream about how devastating that must feel sometimes, but at the same time, it makes me value my time with my son, having those times with them kids like that, making their day, because my son is so blessed and he’s healthy, so it’s a blessing that my son is healthy, it’s a blessing that I get the little time that I have with them kids because they put a lot of things in perspective.

Q: A year from now, what kind of player do you want to be?

A: The best player Derrick Rose possibly can be.

Q: Could you see yourself, if all goes well, to play here in New York for a long time?

A: I would want it to be that way, but it’s not up to me.

Q: Why would you want it to be that way?

A: I love the environment here. I love just everything that comes with New York. I love it.

Q: I read where you said, “Great things are coming.” What were you referring to by that?

A: One of my best friends, his dad, he was like a father figure to me. His quote always to us ever since we were in sixth grade was, “It gets greater later.” I totally get it now … coming from Chicago, where a kid don’t cherish their life or treasure their life like they’re supposed to, and I grew up in that. And me being able to get out, and having the discipline and having the determination, and having a great family and having them protect me the way they did. … I could have been content just winning MVP and having a certain amount in my bank account.

A lot of guys would have quit having two knee surgeries, let alone three surgeries and an orbital eye surgery. Even after I get done playing basketball, not to sound cocky, I’m a hustler by heart, like it’s something that’s always gonna drive me to compete, or something that’s gonna push me to be better.

Q: Message to Knicks fans still dreaming that championship dream?

A: It takes time. We’re giving it everything we got. I know I’m giving everything I have. And as long as I’m a part of this organization, the goal is a championship.

Q: How realistic is that goal?

A: Very realistic. Like right now they thought we would be like 2-16 right now, something like that. For them to even think that, that drives us. Everybody on this team is chasing something right now from the starting five to the guys on the bench to the coaches to the GM to the owner. We all want that championship. But it takes time, it takes dedication, and it takes sacrifice.