Leon Rose To The Rescue: Can He Save The Knicks?

Can Leon Rose Be The Knicks Savior?

Masai Ujiri has long been connected to the Knicks. He brought the Raptors a championship and the Knicks would be his Mona Lisa. So we thought. Ujiri is under contract with the Raptors and it would have cost the Knicks an arm and a leg to get him to New York. As much as we would have loved to see it, it was never going to happen.

Enter Leon Rose.

Following the blueprint of the Lakers and the Warriors, the Knicks went with a player agent as their team president. Both of those teams have had plenty of success evaluating talent with their former agents at the helm and the Knicks are hoping to replicate that.

Not only that, but Leon Rose represents plenty of stars around the league. Guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, and Chris Paul are all represented by Rose. I am guessing that a part of the reason they hired Rose was to attract guys like that to New York. Having those connections cannot go unnoticed, and a starving Knicks fan base is hoping that Rose can make it happen.

Leon Rose’s Plan

With Mills out as president, Perry is still lingering at the GM position, but worry not. Leon Rose has already started discussing potential replacements for Perry. It seems like this is the first item on his agenda. Hire a competent General Manager.

Next on his agenda has to be completely changing the talent evaluation department. After the trade deadline, the Knicks have seven first round draft picks over the next couple of years. After missing on so many top 10 picks in the past, the Knicks cannot afford to miss on too many of those picks. R.J. Barrett and Mitchell Robinson are a great foundation to build on, but they will need pieces around them to actually compete in this league.

Finally, in a city desperate for a star, Rose’s last item on his agenda must be bringing a star to New York. It doesn’t have to be this year, or even next year for that matter. It just has to happen. He has to show the Knicks faithful that he is willing to make the big move. He needs to show us that he will offer big money to the right guys. He needs to change the narrative that comes with this team.

Final Thoughts

I initially thought the move was made a little quick. I still think the move was made a tad too fast, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I really like it. I think Leon Rose has the ability to change the direction of this franchise. It has been so long since the Knicks have really been relevant, but I truly think this man, Leon Rose, can make it happen.

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