Since 1973, every generation of Knicks fans warned the next of becoming jaded. It’s hard not to when the inept eras of Isiah Thomas and Phil Jackson were only separated by six years. When Leon Rose took over the Knicks front office as President of Basketball Operations in 2020, the Knicks had just survived the reign of Steve Mills. Rose started this off-season hotter than his last two, signing Jalen Brunson and Isiah Hartenstein and trading away older veterans. Of course, the potential Donovan Mitchell trade will ultimately be the barometer for Rose’s performance this summer. Will he get fleeced, as so many Knicks executives have in the past? Will he hold firm and get Jazz president Danny Ainge to cave in to his wishes? That seems like a tall task. Is Rose up to the challenge?
To understand where the Knicks are going, let’s trace where they’ve been. Mills was the perfect example of basketball leadership since James Dolan was handed the franchise by his father in 1999. Mills had worked in various executive positions with the Knicks for almost 20 years. The only time the team succeeded was when he left for a period in 2010—2013. The Knicks made the playoffs three times during that stretch. After the disastrous Jackson Era, Dolan elevated Mills to the top job, putting him in charge of all basketball decisions.
What followed was a three-year succession of overpaid free agents, washed-up vets, young busts, and some of the worst losing seasons in franchise history (65 losses in the 2018–19 season). When Rose was hired after Dolan fired Mills, there was little room for hope. Rose had spent the last 20 years as a player agent, representing some of the best players of the modern era: LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, and Chris Paul. Ironically, he was the agent for James during “The Decision,” the first time Knicks fans thought they had a chance at LeBron.
This summer is Rose’s third off-season at the helm. Thus far, his moves have been calculated and underwhelming. He has brought in veterans to foster culture and accountability: Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, and Alec Burks. He’s also worked with General Manager Scott Perry and Executive Vice President William “World Wide Wes” Wesley to build a young core through the draft: Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, and Quentin Grimes.
This method of team-building has led to two very different seasons. The Knicks shocked everyone in 2020-21 by making the playoffs, earning the fourth seed in the East We witnessed Julius Randle win Most Improved Player and head coach Tom Thibodeau win Coach of the Year. The following season, reality came crashing down. The team missed the playoffs, winning only 37 games while failing to translate new additions Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker into wins.
The wild ups and downs have forced fans to wonder what the hell is going on. At times it has been hard to decipher Rose’s master plan. Does the Knicks’ young core have a bona fide first option? Will Obi Toppin ever get to start, or will he forever be buried behind disgruntled Julius Randle? Speaking of Randle, the malcontented forward went from the pride of New York to enemy number No. 1 to Knicks fans. Rose’s refusal to regularly speak to fans or media forces the fanbase to draw its conclusion. What are fans supposed to think the plan is with Randle still on the roster and the Knicks back in the Lottery?
This off-season, Rose made the strongest swings of his short career. First, he traded the 11th pick in this year’s Draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder for three 2023 protected picks. This potentially gives the Knicks five first-round picks in next year’s draft. The picks have the following protections:
- 2023 first-round pick via Detroit (protected 1-18 until 2024, protected 1-13 in 2025, protected 1-11 in 2026, protected 1-9 in 2027)
- 2023 first-round pick via Washington (protected 1-14 in 2023, protected 1-12 in 2024, protected 1-10 in 2025,…
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