There were some mistakes made. They are on record. Kemba Walker has always been more of a happy shot in the dark than a smart acquisition. Evan Fournier has been hiding in plain sight on the Knicks’ bench for the past two years.
GMs are always forced to admit their mistakes rather than being praised for their victories. And Leon Rose allows himself far more exposure to the former charge than the latter. Whether by his own discretion or the dictates of his ownership, he has disappeared from public view, and basketball’s Howard Hughes operates in a mythical fortress of solitude.
But this is true:
Most of the time he’s proven right.
He was right to re-sign Julius Randle on relatively team-friendly terms. He was right to oil every avenue necessary to make Jalen Brunson the Knicks, and capped off the maneuver by getting Brunson’s signature at a bargain rate. He was right about Isaiah Hartenstein in identifying his strengths ahead of his time.
He was right about Josh Hart, whose energy is an essential brick in the Knicks’ foundation, the right to look for Donte DiVincenzo, who is much better than anyone knew on both ends of the floor, Anunoby’s elbow troubles The right to acquire OG Anunoby, despite the lingering issue, and they were even right to first identify Deuce McBride as a player who could almost replicate Immanuel Quickley, and then lock him into another smart deal. Ta.
They were right to hire Tom Thibodeau and then sit him on the sidelines.
That’s very true.
And as a result, the Knicks team now owns the heart of the city in a way no Knicks team has since June 1999. As a result, the team tied for 3rd place in the East region with 33 wins and 18 losses, and is barely making ends meet while still squeezing in 2nd place. To continue winning on the spot, even when key members of the team are in civilian clothes.
It creates a lot of goodwill, a lot of trust, and a lot of the benefit of the doubt. At times, his craftsmanship seemed maddeningly careful, but his patience paid off. He was selective. Dejounte Murray is still a Hawk, Jrue Holiday is still a Celtic, and Donovan Mitchell is still a Cav. He could have overpaid for all of that, but he didn’t.
“Certainly, even I sometimes think he’s a mad scientist,” one NBA executive said Wednesday afternoon. “But when he shows that he’s on the wrong path, you tell me. I haven’t seen it yet.”
Still, even if they were complete, even if Randle, Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson were healthy, the Knicks still feel incomplete, even before Brunson and Hart’s status is known in the coming days. Rose’s Routhian swing in pursuit of FPP (the last piece of the puzzle) will likely be postponed until the summer, and whatever the Knicks accomplish this spring will go a long way in clarifying and identifying their goals. I can agree that it would be helpful.
But this is no longer strictly a futures game. The acquisition of Anunoby, and the resulting rapid growth the Knicks experienced with him, redefined what this year would be like. Rose knows that whatever the conventional wisdom was, primarily that the No. 4 seed was the team’s ceiling, the stakes have changed. The Knicks are flirting with the No. 2 seed not because they’re unlucky, but because when they’re healthy they can look right in the eyes of the Bucks and Cavs.
And what about the Celtics? Well, they stay in the class of the conference. But as the Knicks saw in Philadelphia with Joel Embiid and, soberingly, in their own backyard, all it takes is a sprained ankle or banged knee to change the entire situation. become. If the Knicks can get healthy by April — which is a big deal — the possibilities are endless.
But they need something else. If the Knicks were able to acquire Bruce Brown from Toronto, Bruce Brown would be an immediate fit. If Malcolm Brogdon can be plucked away from the Blazers, he’ll get the shot he needs. But both will almost certainly include one of the Knicks’ future No. 1 picks, and Rose is an asset they’ll want to hold on to until July.
Increasingly, the most logical addition is Kyle Lowry. Assuming he gets to the other side of Thursday’s deadline without being traded to the Hornets and instead orchestrates a buyout with Charlotte. It was 11 years ago that the Knicks came very close to acquiring Lowry from Toronto. At the time, he was seen as a growth stock, and that became reality. He was a perennial All-Star, an NBA champion, and a key component of last year’s NBA finalist in Miami.
He is nearing the end of his expiration date. But in many ways, he’s exactly what the Knicks want. He has big game experience, is a fearless shooter, and is someone who can attack Brunson with responsibility for eight to 10 minutes a game without the Knicks offense having a nervous breakdown. Also, he is a product of the Jay Wright Villanova Pipeline, so he already knows the secret handshake.
If you really have big game to hunt, you’ll have to wait until summer. But if the key is to maximize the Knicks in 2024 before turning their attention to 2025, Leon Rose will need to maintain his DiMaggio-like performance.
