In March 2020, in the midst of a seventh consecutive loss, New York Knicks decided to hand over the management of the team to someone with no office experience.
Leon Rose has spent decades working as a player’s agent and has become one of the most respected agents in the field, but running a basketball team is a total endeavor. other.
For the Knicks, the move was a risky move.
Three years later, it’s time to give Rose flowers. The road is not always smooth, decision making process maybe not too tightbut after defeat Cavalry on Wednesday night 106-95 – in Cleveland nothing more and nothing less! — The New York Knicks are now heading to a place they haven’t been since 2013: the second round of the knockout stages.
This is not one of those cases where an executive has benefited from the work of his predecessor. Look at the team that just beat the Cavs in five games and you can see Rose’s work everywhere.
There’s Tom Thibodeau, the twice-fired coach Rose brought in, who believes he can instill a winning culture and mold a team in his image. Anyone who has watched the Knicks crush the Cavs and strangle their star defenders will say Thibodeau has succeeded.
Have Obi on the head And Immanuel Quickley And Quentin Grimes, all drafted by Rose, the latter two with late picks in the first round. None of those players are stars, but before the Cavs, each showed that they have the ability to impact knockouts. They all have bright futures.
Have Michelle Robinson, who may have been drafted by the previous regime, but it was Rose last summer who gave him a four-year, $60 million extension. With the smashes he just put on the Cavs, that deal is starting to look like a bargain. Robinson won 29 counterattacks in five games and made Jarrett Allen – an All-Star from last season – looks like a JV kid trying to keep up with a bigger and stronger opponent.
Have Josh HartThe wing that Rose got ahead of the February deal deadline has, unbelievably, become one of the more impactful deals of the season.
Hart ended up being the perfect match for the Knicks, a player who – thanks to his size, defense, mobility and bounce – brought everything else together. The Knicks won 21-9 with him on the roster.
And of course yes Jalen Brunsonpoint guard Rose has gone no way to sign a $100 million dealcurrently one of the league’s top bargains. Brunson became a studand just passed Donovan Mitchell, the elected Rose star defender Are not to chase, which means he and the Knicks now have a battle chest full of assets to further strengthen this roster.
All of that puts the Knicks in an incredible place. Not only are they headed for round two, but they are also set to perform well for many years.
Who knew the Knicks were capable of such a thing. Give Leon Rose his proper props.
Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of “Riding to the Top: Philadelphia 76ers and the boldest run in professional sports history.” Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.
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