NBA: Rose discusses Timberwolves' improved play since Butler trade

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Derrick Rose

New York, November 26: Derrick Rose thinks the Minnesota Timberwolves are now on the same page.

Jimmy Butler requested a deal out of Minnesota and the team eventually traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this month in exchange for a package centred around Robert Covington and Dario Saric.

The Timberwolves have registered a 5-2 record in NBA since dealing away Butler.

Rose was asked about the team's improved play after a 111-96 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

"I think the ball movement, everyone being on the same page, and the new pieces that we have, like they're for the team," Rose said (via the Chicago Sun-Times). "They're professional, great dudes, and that's what we needed."

Saric has averaged 11 points and six rebounds through his first six games with the Timberwolves while Covington has tallied 11.5 points per contest and knocked down 36.4 per cent of his three-pointers.

Rose, the 2010-11 MVP, has had a bounce-back season in 2018-19. He has registered 19.5 points and 4.6 assists in 30.2 minutes per game.

The Timberwolves (9-11) will return to the court when they face the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Monday.