The Manhattan skyline appeared in the background on Wednesday when Leon Rose made his first public remarks as president of Knicks.
Although Rose spoke of Zoom in a controlled environment as a guest of Mike Breen on the MSG Network, it was a positive segment and indicates that the former superagent is embracing this new vocation.
While Rose’s wife and son organized her virtual background, Rose’s presidency was not smoke and mirrors.
Thursday will mark the four-month mark of Rose who runs the Knicks and is growing in work after her previous life as a principal agent of the Creative Artists Agency.
The Cherry Hill, New Jersey product created a large and diverse front office, while maintaining Scott Perry as a GM / safety net. Rose is conducting patient coaching research with Tom Thibodeau as the lead candidate, but is maintaining the ability to delete information from 10 other candidates, five with no NBA coaching experience.
Call this movie “Rose’s Eleven”. The new prez wants to hear as many “philosophies” and “mentalities” as possible. There is no competitor other than Chicago, which is also excluded from the Orlando restart, for candidates. And the Bulls are not bringing Thibodeau back.
Wearing a blue Knicks polo, Rose said, “For me personally, this is educational. I have to make sure I go through this process by punctuating every ‘I’ and going through every ‘T’ to make the right decision. ”
Knicks owner James Dolan made a bet on Rose, avoiding chasing the league’s proven manager Masai Ujiri, even though he became a free agent after the 2020-21 season.
First, Dolan added Rose because of his player and coaching connections. Dolan is still struggling with the 2010 Rose game of aligning LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. The hope is that Rose will attract agents without curtains, which former President Steve Mills has failed to do.
League officials believe Rose did well to surround herself with a strong team of advisors. Dolan, despite the economic crisis due to the pandemic, has once again shown a willingness to shell out money to help Rose.
“Leon doesn’t think he’s the smartest person in the room,” said one executive. “He surrounds himself with intelligent people.”
It started by stealing Cleveland’s hat guru and Dan Gilbert’s right arm, Brock Aller. He continued by throwing money into one of the NBA’s most revered university observers in Walter Perrin, Utah, making him an assistant GM. The newcomer Frank Zanin, GM assistant of professional scouting, is also highly appreciated.
Officially adding William Wesley, Rose’s old friend, should help change the image of Knicks that Dolan believes is necessary to correct.
For the past 13 years, Wesley has been an AAC consultant and has worked closely with Thibodeau, who will have a solid support system if and when he is hired in mid-late July.
“This activity is based on relationships and how you treat people,” said Rose. “It’s based on the characteristics that Wes has. Bringing someone of that stature and character to our organization is something that will benefit us greatly.
Send questions to your favorite New York teams for an answer in an upcoming mailbag
“We will work as hard as possible to show people that this is a place you want to be,” added Rose. “We have the largest city in the world, an iconic arena. We just have to create a culture that people want to be part of. ”
During the transaction window caused by last week’s pandemic, Rose took a peek at the type of player she seeks. Rose got rid of the former beginner revelation Allonzo Trier, talented but selfish on the field. It was time for “Iso Zo” to go.
In Rose’s first acquisitions, the Knicks will look to Jared Harper, an unprocessed Auburn product that has unused potential as a scoring guard, and former Net Theo Pinson, a solid presence in the locker room.
“Talent is obviously always of paramount importance,” said Rose. “In addition to talent, we are looking at the character. We are observing who the person is and we are observing how he fits. One of the things I always believed as an agent was to represent the customer and the customer represented me. Decisions were made based on what we were involved with. “
While Rose complained of not being able to evaluate more of her players when the Knicks season ended on March 11th, she will benefit from the fact that the project will be brought up to October 15th.
“In a positive light, we will have much more time,” said Rose. “We were preparing as if we were writing on June 25th.”
Rose offered an interesting nugget about her transition from agent to president – an indication that she is less on Phil Jackson and Mills’ ego.
“It’s fun,” said Rose. “We have relied on our relationship with NBA scouts. Here I sit on the other side of the fence and rely on the same people but within our organization. “
As an agent, Rose’s Knicks’ reports haven’t produced much success. Rose planned the trade with Eddy Curry in 2005 which went bankrupt. Carmelo Anthony’s blockbuster from 2011 will always be rethought. In 2013, Rose pushed for his client Andrea Bargnani as a floor spacer for Anthony. Even the Knicks had escaped that.
This is in the past. In four months, Rose has an average beat in orange and blue that is climbing.
.
