The Knicks are a .500 team. Leon Rose can bow as his anniversary approaches the team president. But Scott Perry could get a loan too – if he were here.
One of the advantages of participating in garden games in person and not watching TV is to see a picture of the Knicks directors present.
With fans now in the building and making another mistake on Saturday, President Rose and members of his cabinet have moved from the stars to the back of the baseline.
On Saturday, they watched the club’s 17-17 jumps with a tough 110-107 victory over the Pacers – a comeback from 16 points to cover a delicious 3-1 stand at home.
“It was weird, but I just scratched it,” said coach Tom Thibodeau.
Knight’s general manager Perry was not seen during the four-game game. Ranking: Rose, executive vice president and senior advisor William Wesley, strategy director Brock Aller and vice president of player management and development Allan Houston.
Perry, in the final year of his contract, would have been on a G-League research mission. But in the days before the rose, Perry never missed a game – home or away.
Even if Perry is not present, he begins to earn credit for the relevance of the Knicks.
Indeed, Rose received a better hand than might have been expected when she took over Monday a year ago. Usually, when a president is fired – as Steve Mills was 12 months ago – it’s because the present is gloomy and the future is gloomier.
But Mills and Perry, who remained, offered Rose plenty of ammunition to keep the project going.
In her tenure so far, Rose has not attracted a free-agent top star from her vast connections. He did not even execute a successful transaction for a stud farm. The free agency was quiet.
Rose explored Julius Randle’s move during the long off-season to upgrade to a star-level player. Instead, Randle became that star. He had his first 34 great games, and on Saturday he overtook Domantas Sabonis.
Rose did what should not change Randle. Named All-Star for the first time last week, Randle is a future piece to build. On Saturday night, he accumulated another 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a few strong chants of “MVP” that become routine.
RJ Barrett, for whom Perry clung to his weapons to move to 3rd place in 2019, helped Randle by 24 points, hearing even his first “MVP” chants. “For 2,000 people, they are very strong,” Barrett said.
Rose thought he was a player who would soon replace Randle as a starter when he used his 2020 lottery selection for striker Obi Toppin, instead of a much-needed keeper.
Toppin’s debut year can be summed up in this way: he is a good dunker, good enough to win a Slam Dunk appearance. But that’s where it ends. Toppin, who was not as productive as anticipated, will not be named on the Rising Stars Challenge.
Toppin arrived on Saturday for Kevin Knox, as a striker with the small ball in the first half, after Taj Gibson turned his ankle. Toppin played only six minutes.
Novice guard Tyrese Haliburton, in 12th place and shining with Kings, was not at the top of Rose’s squad when he chose Toppin.
Fortunately, Rose received a new crack in the 2020 project because Perry had traded Marcus Morris 12 months ago to the Clippers for a late first-round pick. To his credit, Rose had extensive information from Kentucky to make him feel comfortable grabbing Immanuel Quickley, when most teams put him down.
The hiring of Kentucky’s assistant, Kenny Payne, proved valuable. Rose and Wesley, who are said to be well connected to John Calipari and his schedule, deserve congratulations on their choice of Quickley.
But the best move Rose made, thanks to past connections, was to lure Thibodeau as coach at the end of July. Yes, Rose was lucky on this front because of the way Commissioner Adam Silver built the resumption of the season in the balloon, choosing 22 of 30 teams. The Knicks were one of the remaining.
A number of coaching vacancies appeared after the teams were eliminated at the end of August. However, when the Knicks did their long search, they had no competition.
Sources indicated at the time Thibodeau preferred to have a choice. If he had taken Knicks’ offer over another team’s, we’ll never know. Thibodeau decided not to wait for another job because of his trust in Rose.
Thibodeau’s defense is top notch, and the Knicks do everything that happens to most Mills and Perry players. Training and culture make the difference.
One of Rose’s few additions was a deal for goalkeeper Derrick Rose, but it was more in line with the president’s wishes than his head coach. In excellent statistics, Thibodeau’s winning percentage with Rose on the list is 63%. Without Rose, it’s 46%. Rose ticked four thefts on Saturday.
An NBA source said of the new administration’s decision-making: “At the end of the day, it’s about what Thibs wants.”
Knicks fans are thrilled with the progress with the bar set so low. The 6,000 fans who went through the Garden turnstiles in the first three games allowed by the crowd were upset.
Fans love this team. They like this coach. And they like an Eastern conference without depth. The Knicks are now tied for fourth with the Raptors.
Leon Rose has been the strong and quiet guy so far. He has not addressed the press for seven months. Approaching the one-year anniversary, Lucky Leon got rid of it because his Knicks are talking on the field.