Leon Rose

New York Knicks: Leon Rose mum on team’s future plans

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New York Knicks, Leon Rose

The New York Knicks held an introductory press conference for new head coach Tom Thibodeau on Thursday. Thibodeau, president Leon Rose and general manager Scott Perry took questions from the media.

Rose, the Knicks new president, says the organization has “not set a timeline” while noting that Thibodeau can help make them “a perennial winner” (quotes per Marc Berman of the New York Post).

“We have not set a timeline. We are taking it one day at a time. We felt Tom was that coach who can take us with development to becoming a perennial winner. That happens one step at a time,” Rose said. “At the moment we don’t know what the roster will be moving forward. We have decisions we have to make. The important thing is to instill the culture, focus on the development and take it from there.”

With Thibodeau in the fold, the onus for the Knicks now shifts to rounding out a coaching staff (Mike Woodson is reportedly expected to join Thibodeau’s coaching staff) and the NBA offseason.

The Knicks have three selections in the 2020 NBA Draft: their own first and second-round pick and the Los Angeles Clippers’ first-round pick. They acquired the Clippers first rounder as part of a midseason trade that sent Marcus Morris to the West Coast.

New York is sixth in the NBA lottery, which takes place on Aug. 20, and owns the eighth selection in the second round (38). They have reportedly interviewed and/or shown interest in guards RJ Hampton, Cole Anthony and Killian Hayes and wings Deni Avdija and Jay Scrubb.

New York has team options on Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, Wayne Ellington and Reggie Bullock for the 2020-21 NBA season. In the scenario those options are declined, the Knicks could have roughly $60 million in cap space in the offseason.

New York Knicks: Mike Woodson expected to join Tom Thibodeau’s staff

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New york Knicks, Mike Woodson

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, former New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson is expected to join Tom Thibodeau’s coaching staff for the 2020-21 NBA season.

The Knicks announced Thibodeau’s hiring on Thursday morning. The former Knicks assistant is the 31st head coach in franchise history.

Steve Popper of Newsday tweets that Rick Brunson, Daisuke Yoshimoto and former interim head coach Mike Miller are also under consideration to join Thibodeau’s coaching staff.

Woodson was the Knicks head coach from 2012-14. He was promoted to the position in March 2012 in the wake of head coach Mike D’Antoni’s resignation. Woodson joined D’Antoni’s staff for the 2011-12 NBA season.

The Knicks made the playoffs in the first two seasons with Woodson at the helm. In 2012 they lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. The ensuing season they were the second seed in the Eastern Conference (54-28), beating the Boston Celtics in the first round and losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.

Woodson was fired in 2014 after the Knicks went 37-45, missing the playoffs by one game. Owner James Dolan hired Phil Jackson to be the team’s president five weeks before Woodson was axed.

Woodson was the Atlanta Hawks head coach from 2004-10, making the playoffs in his final three seasons. Prior to coaching Atlanta, Woodson was an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. He was most recently an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers under head coach Doc Rivers from 2014-18.

New York fired head coach David Fizdale in December 2019, subsequently promoting Mike Miller. President Steve Mills was fired in February and replaced by former agent Leon Rose. The Knicks have hired Tom Thibodeau (head coach), William Wesley (executive vice president/senior basketball advisor) and Walt Perrin (assistant general manager) under Rose.

Woodson was a member of Creative Artists Agency, which was previously administered by Rose.

New York Knicks officially hire Tom Thibodeau as head coach

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks announced on Thursday morning that they’ve hired Tom Thibodeau to be the 31st head coach in franchise history.

Team president Leon Rose calls Thibodeau a “proven winner” who brings “leadership” to the table.

“Tom Thibodeau is a proven winner who gets the most out of the players and teams that he has coached,” said Leon Rose, president, New York Knicks. “He will bring leadership, accountability and a hard-working mentality to our organization. We are excited to bring him back to New York and look forward to collaborating with him and his staff toward a successful future.”

Thibodeau says he’s “grateful” for the opportunity to coach the Knicks.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to this historic franchise as head coach and work alongside a talented front office that I have great trust in and respect for,” said Thibodeau. “I know what New York is like when the Knicks are successful and there is nothing comparable. I look forward to being a part of what we are building here and can’t wait to get to work.”

Thibodeau was most recently the head coach and president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2016-19. Prior to patrolling the sidelines in Minnesota, Thibodeau was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 2010-15, where he won Coach of the Year honors in 2011.

Thibodeau has 20 seasons of experience as an assistant coach under his belt split between the Knicks, Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics.

The Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale 22 games into the 2019-20 NBA regular season (4-18) and promoted assistant Mike Miller. As interim head coach, Miller went 17-27.

President Steve Mills was fired in February and replaced by Leon Rose, who has retained general manager Scott Perry while hiring Walt Perrin as assistant general manager, William Wesley as executive vice president/senior basketball advisor and Tom Thibodeau as head coach.

Could New York Knick Fans Derail The Current Front Office And Head Coach Alignment?

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New York Knicks, James Dolan

The New York Knicks been probing the National Basketball Association for a head coach for roughly two decades. Even though the hiring of Tom Thibodeau dragged for seven weeks, the franchise been running through head coaches and assistant coaches since the resignation of Jeff Van Gundy nineteen games into the 2001-02 NBA season.

Current Knick President Leon Rose was a former agent with Creative Artists Agency, and Tom Thibodeau was one of his clients. Leon Rose hired long time acquaintance William Wesley as the Executive Vice President. William Wesley, also known as “World Wide Wes”, was called a goodwill ambassador by John Calipari in regards to the University of Kentucky’s basketball program.

William Wesley was a well-connected consultant for Creative Artists Agency before being hired as an executive for the Knicks. With all the strong connections between the front office and the head coach, could Knick fans derail this current front office and head coach alignment?

There’s an old saying that states “pressure busts pipes”. When the Knicks are losing, Madison Square Garden becomes a microwave to certain players who melt under MSG’s bright lights in the presence of displeased die-hard fans who spent their hard-earned money on a Knicks ticket.

James Dolan has a history of making changes based on negative press and displeasure from the fan base. Growing pains are expected during the process of relevancy, however, it would be in James Dolan’s best interest not to overreact to a few bumps along the way to become a good basketball team.

If Dolan learned anything from the past, one thing that’s crucial is the stability of an organization. A culture of stability can catapult the Knicks from decades of losing into decades of winning. Stabilization of a work atmosphere and franchise will allow the front office to make sound decisions. It will even trickle down to the Knick players on the basketball court in a positive way.

Overall, it’s a great hire by the New York Knicks. Coach Tom Thibodeau is a man who has no time for lack of effort especially on the defensive side of the ball. His prior head coaching tenures didn’t work partially due to lack of cohesion with prior front offices.

It appears now that Thibodeau, Leon Rose, and William Wesley are on the same page. Turnover is going to happen as it always does with a new president. However, the Knick front office and head coach seems to have some remanence of stability. New York Knick fans have every right to be optimistic about the direction of the franchise under the new regime.

Jason Kidd the frontrunner to be the New York Knicks head coach

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New York Knicks, Jason Kidd

According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Jason Kidd is the new frontrunner to be the New York Knicks’ next head coach.

Bondy says Kidd “is viewed by the Knicks as a conduit to attracting free agents” but adds “there are also people in the organization who are skeptical of his coaching ability following underwhelming stints in Brooklyn and Milwaukee.”

Kidd is an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers under head coach Frank Vogel. After retiring from the NBA in 2013 (Kidd’s last season was with the Knicks in the 2012-13 season) Kidd was named the Brooklyn Nets head coach. After a supposed power-play move within the organization, Brooklyn traded Kidd to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014.

Kidd coached the Bucks for three and a half seasons, getting fired in 2018. During Kidd’s time in Milwaukee, he coached Giannis Antetokounmpo, a free agent in 2021. The 2019 NBA Most Valuable Player Award recipient reportedly had a sound relationship with Kidd. It has been reported that some NBA teams feel Kidd could be the “link” to Antetokounmpo.

Bondy says that potential assistants under Kidd include Kenny Payne, Rod Strickland and Mike Woodson, the Knicks head coach from 2012-14, and a reported candidate for the current coaching vacancy.

The New York Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale in December 2019 after going 4-18. They promoted assistant Mike Miller to interim head coach. The Knicks went 17-27 under Miller.

The team fired president Steve Mills in February, replacing him with former agent Leon Rose. Under Rose, the Knicks have retained Scott Perry as general manager, hired Walt Perrin as assistant general manager, and hired William Wesley as executive vice president/senior basketball advisor, among other moves.

Tom Thibodeau has been the long-standing favorite to be named the Knicks head coach given his relationship with Rose and Wesley by means of Creative Artists Agency. A source tells Bondy that owner James Dolan has been “unwilling” to meet Thibodeau’s contract requests and any deal between the two sides at this point would require a “concession.”

Jared Harper talks joining the New York Knicks

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New York Knicks, Jared Harper

The New York Knicks claimed point guard Jared Harper off waivers from the Phoenix Suns in June. Harper signed with the Suns as an undrafted free agent last offseason and spent the 2019-20 season with the team’s G-League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns. Across 34 games, he averaged 20.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.

In an interview with Marc Berman of the New York Post, Harper said Knicks president Leon Rose and general manager Scott Perry “couldn’t wait” for him to join the team.

“[Rose and Perry] told me they couldn’t wait for me to be part of the team, be in New York and be myself,’’ Harper told The Post in a phone interview. “Just play my game and everything else will take care of itself. I feel there are a lot of great things I could do and have good potential to do those things.’’

While the G-League came with its fair share of challenges, Harper said he became “a better basketball player” last season.

“At times I felt it could have been frustrating just wanting to get an opportunity to be on the NBA floor and try to contribute to the team,” Harper said. “I still felt overall it was a great first year being in the G-League improving. I felt this year is the most I’ve improved overall in my career, able to work on different things. I definitely felt I became a better basketball player. I wouldn’t have wanted it to go any another way because I feel I improved.’’

Harper compares the Knicks to the Auburn Tigers, his alma mater, in regards to having “a great fan base.”

“It’s definitely a great spot for me,’’ Harper said. “I’ll be able to grow as a basketball player. That it happened so quick was just assurance to me I belong at this level.

“It’s similar to my Auburn situation — a great fan base. Auburn was really good before and struggled a bit and I was able to get the Auburn program back up again. I feel I want to help make Knicks basketball what it was before.‘’

Harper played and started three seasons at Auburn. Across those seasons, he averaged 13.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Harper said he’s going to “compete” whenever he steps on the floor for the Knicks.

“I’m someone who’s going to compete every time he’s on the floor,’’ Harper said. “Someone who knows what it takes to win, someone who is going to enjoy the moment.’’

Harper joins a point guard depth chart that includes Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., and potentially Elfrid Payton, who the Knicks have an $8 million team option on for the 2020-21 NBA season.

New York Knicks: Could Rebuilding Through The Draft Be Overrated?

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New York Knicks

Rebuilding the New York Knicks through the NBA Draft with the use of acquired draft picks was a foreign thought process until General Manager Scott Perry joined former President Steve Mills in the front office. An unfortunate situation occurred for the Knicks in the hiring of former coach David Fizdale. Steve Mills lied to the Knick fan base by giving the impression of building through the draft if the Knicks whiff on the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving sweepstakes. Instead of Steve Mills following through with his word, he went on to sign Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris, Elfrid Payton, Wayne Ellington, and Reggie Bullock. The roster was a poor fit and the New York Knicks went on to have another disastrous season in which some of the young talent (Kevin Knox & Dennis Smith Jr.) actually regressed. Steve Mills believed he built a playoff team. David Fizdale got fired early December 2019 during the midst of a losing streak. Steve Mills got fired two days before the NBA Trade Deadline.

James Dolan hired a well connected former NBA Agent Leon Rose as President of the New York Knicks. Leon Rose made multiple hires in order to round out the Knick front office. One significant hire, Leon Rose made was that of Wesley Williams, also known as “World Wide Wes”. Wesley Williams is known as the most connected man in basketball period. With the new-look front office taking shape, many believe building through the draft would once again become a foreign thought process.

There are teams in the NBA that patiently built through the draft successfully. There are also teams who built their roster with a combination of great drafting, free agency, and great international scouting. Therefore, some are starting to believe that building through the draft is overrated due to the unlimited avenues of finding legit basketball talent.

However, trading draft picks at the drop of a dime is something the Knicks will hopefully stop doing. Give young talent time to blossom instead of trading picks for old veterans who will retire very soon.

Overall, a rebuild must be well balanced in terms of drafting talent, signing strong veterans in free agency, overall scouting, and good trades. The Knicks seem to have put specialized personnel within their front office positions respectively. Cohesion in the front office and thorough scouting with a balanced rebuild through drafting, free agency, international scouting, and G-League would be a major step in the right direction internally. Basketball minds making decisions is a plus for any organization.

Tom Thibodeau is studying the New York Knicks roster

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

Tom Thibodeau has been the recurring favorite to land the New York Knicks head-coaching position. A source told Marc Berman of the New York Post that Thibodeau has been “passing away the time poring over Knicks game film as he awaits a possible job offer.”

Berman notes that Thibodeau is a fan of Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson.

It’s known one of the things that most intrigues Thibodeau about coaching the Knicks roster is molding young shot-blocking center Mitchell Robinson into an even better defensive player.

Thibodeau was an assistant for the New York Knicks from 1996-2003, including seven seasons under head coach Jeff Van Gundy. Thibodeau followed Van Gundy to the Houston Rockets in 2003, where he’d reside for four seasons. He was then an assistant for the Boston Celtics under head coach Doc Rivers, which led to him becoming the Chicago Bulls head coach in 2010.

Thibodeau won Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and coached Chicago from 2010-15; he was fired in May 2015. He became the Minnesota Timberwolves head coach in 2016, where he resided for two and a half seasons before being fired in January 2019.

Thibodeau feels his experience working with high-profile coaches has helped him build relationships with players.

“You go back to your past — being around people who have done great things. At Team USA. I’ve worked with Doc Rivers, Jeff Van Gundy, Brendan Malone, not just great head coaches but assistants and great college coaches.

“The thing that stood out being around [Mike Krzyzewski], Jim Boeheim and [Team USA managing director] Jerry Colangelo, these are Hall of Fame guys who still wanted to do great things and be driven and wanted to learn. They don’t want to stay the same.’’

Knicks president Leon Rose and executive vice president/senior basketball advisor William Wesley worked with Thibodeau at Creative Artists Agency.

New York Knicks: The Hiring Of One Executive Leaves Polarizing Effect

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New York Knicks, James Dolan

On June 24th, 2020, the New York Knicks announced Wesley Williams as their new executive vice president/senior basketball adviser. Wesley, who’s a longtime friend of Knicks president Leon Rose and former consultant at Creative Arts Agency, is known for his relationships with star players around the NBA. He also previously worked with top coaching candidate Tom Thibodeau while at Creative Arts Agency.

The Knicks hiring of William Wesley, also known as “World Wide Wes” as the next Executive Vice President, has garnered hot and cold reactions. Two opposite kinds of reactions and the lack of a lukewarm reception of the hiring makes one wonder the real reason for the hiring of William Wesley, leaving such a polarizing effect amongst certain former players and media.

Stephon Marbury’s reaction towards the hiring of the new Knicks Executive Vice President was of disbelief along with anger, and the reaction also seemed personal. Marbury expressed displeasure as a Knick fan; however, he never fully expressed in detail on why he felt the way he expressed about the hire.

Former Knick Rasheed Wallace didn’t sound too optimistic about the Leon Rose and William Wesley hire either. Wallace mentioned possibilities of other agents getting revenge on Leon Rose by spurning opportunities of current NBA stars and potential stars making their way to the Knicks via free agency. Wallace claimed the reason this could happen is due to the possibility of Leon Rose or William Wesley spurning or doing no favors for other agents while in their former positions. Could their past come back to bite them? That remains to be seen.

Wallace said the following on CBS Sports Radio:

“I mean damn, it’s been getting worse. We all think it can’t be no [worse], they’re going to hit rock bottom, but they keep going lower and lower. I’m just a little confused by it all, if you ask me. It’s one thing to have a former agent and agency coming in and giving you their input here and there, but to hire them full time, you’re taking on a lot. Because now, unfortunately [James] Dolan’s taking on their baggage.”

Knicks’ Leon Rose expected to be aggressive in trading for talented young players

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New York Knicks, Leon Rose

When the New York Knicks hired super-agent Leon Rose to lead the rebuild of their roster, they knew they’d be getting a man with superior relationships around the league.

Rose, who previously worked with CAA, is expected to be active in overhauling the roster and acquiring big names in the future. Ultimately, star players have been scared away from Madison Square Garden, based on the failures in recent years and the lackluster coaching options that have been appointed.

SNY’s Ian Begley believes Knicks’ GM Leon Rose could be active in the trade market.

“In general, my guess is that Rose and the Knicks will be aggressive in pursuing trades for young, talented players if the opportunity presents itself,” Begley recently wrote. “I’d also guess that the club will have a significant number of veterans on the roster next season, in part, in an effort to surround the younger players with knowledge and experience.”

Aside from free agency, the Knicks are looking forward to the 2021 NBA draft. With reports that LaMelo Ball prefers to land with the Knicks, it all depends on their draft lottery placement. It is unclear whether the Knicks are considering moving up to land Ball, who will be the highest-rated point guard on the board.

To start off Rose’s tenure with the Knicks, he picked up Scott Perry’s option for the 2021 campaign. Interestingly, he elected to keep Perry on board, and I imagine the reasoning is more experience-based then production. He was involved with the training of Kristaps Porzingis for pennies on the dollar, after all. However, learning the ropes and the inside out of the organization is essential for Rose.

Leon Rose has undoubtedly started with a bang

In recent days, Rose has waived Allonzo Trier, a talented player with potential left to be unlocked. That was an interesting move, and the Knicks used the roster spot to snag Theo Pinson, who also was an undrafted player. Focusing on the talent they already have on the roster should be a priority, especially options like RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson, who represent the foundation of their youth agenda. I believe the team will look vastly different after the upcoming off-season, meaning Rose has plenty of work left to do.