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I know he isn't a Spur anymore but still. = )
http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/trainingcamp_051008.html
Notes from Training Camp - Oct 8, 2005
by Tony Ciuffo
Knicks Model Themselves on Malik
Charleston, SC, October 8, 2005 -- Thanks to his mother Janet, Malik Rose's career has been one based on a work ethic and energy level that is second to none in the NBA.
"My work ethic started with my mother," said Rose, who was a key member of San Antonio's NBA Championship teams of 1999 and 2003. "She was a single mother of six. I used to watch how she went out all the time and worked so hard for my brothers, my sister and I.
"My mother use to always tell us it's not how many times you get knocked down, but how long you stay there. That's really the foundation of my work ethic. I've gotten knocked down but I've always picked myself up, dusted myself off and kept going."
Rose
The former Drexel University standout and Philadelphia native also brings leadership, and nine years of NBA experience to Larry Brown's first New York squad.
"When you have role models and examples like Malik that have been in the league, it makes the young player's transition so much easier," said Brown. "He's always been a guy who is going to give it all he has, whether he's sitting on the bench or playing 40 minutes. "He is what our league is suppose to be about.
For the newest of Knicks or the NBA vets, Rose's effort hasn't gone unnoticed.
"He's been my gauge on to when to say I'm tired and when not to, and I haven't said I'm tired yet," added rookie Channing Frye. "He works so hard and he's been around this league a long time and he's a champion and I really look up to him."
Crawford
"Just the way he carries himself, you can tell he comes from a winning program," said teammate Jamal Crawford, now in his sixth NBA season. "He'll do whatever it takes to win. He doesn't care if he's playing 10 or 20 minutes, he going to contribute and play as hard as he can."
Rose, who was traded to the Knicks last February, has made a living with his hard-hat defensive approach to the game.
"I've got to stop people," added Rose. "That's been the staple in my career. I've routinely been put on the other team's best player. I take that as a challenge and I embrace it. It's what I always had to do to make the team."
The 6-7, 255-pound forward has played in 589 career games, grabbed nearly 3,000 rebounds and is just 808 points shy of 5,000 for his career.
He's got his own website (www.malikrose.com), a collection of over 1,500 CDs ranging from rap to classical and he opened his own restaurant - Malik's Philly's Phamous - in September of 2003 in San Antonio's Quarry Market. His restaurant features a full menu and everything from authentic cheesecakes to 19 flavors of Italian ice.
"Mom is the boss of the restaurant," added Rose, whose favorite sandwich is the cheese steak hoagie known affectionately "Malik's Favorite". "She pretty much runs the place, and that's fine with me."
And, we're all certainly grateful to his mother for that.
