Former New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this month, expressing an interest in joining forces with LeBron James to chase an NBA title.

For a player of Rose's caliber (when healthy) and veteran status, staying in New York didn't make sense, whether the Knicks wanted him back or not.

On Sunday night, though, Rose's agent - B.J. Armstrong - revealed the real reasons why the 2011 NBA MVP decided it was best to move on with his career.

According to the New York Post, Armstrong said Rose has no interest in being part of a rebuilding project and wants to compete for championships now:

“Did we miss something?,” Armstrong asked The Post. “Is there something going [on] in New York we didn’t see? We all would agree they are on a different timeline than Derrick - a young team with great young talent there and trying to build something for the future. They’re not on the same timeline as players who are a little older and experienced.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out Derrick’s best basketball is right now. The Knicks aren’t ready to compete at that level right now. It could be three, four years.”

The only way the Knicks would have wanted Rose back is if the former Chicago Bulls star would have been willing to take on a mentoring role for 19-year-old French point guard Frank Ntilikina, who the Knicks selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. However, Rose wasn't interested in being a mentor at this stage of his career.

Armstrong continued by saying Rose has made his intentions clear from the start of the offseason and has stuck to that plan. He added that he believes his client still has a lot left in the tank, as he did average 18 points per game for the Knicks:

“Derrick chose what he said he’d choose from the beginning. He didn’t deviate,” Armstrong said. “He said he just wanted to win. People didn’t believe it. He’s made a lot of money in his career. Now he just wants to win. The guy averaged 18 points a game in the triangle and we know how the game is played right now."

The trouble with Rose, as it has been for the past few seasons, is whether he can stay healthy. Even though he looked great during his year in New York, he was only able to appear in 64 games before having season-ending knee surgery.

With the Kyrie Irving trade situation still ongoing in Cleveland, the Cavs may have to rely on the veteran point guard more than expected. Whether his knees can handle that sort of responsibility at this point remains to be seen.