In a typical fan’s perspective, the primary reason for the New York Knicks’ rise from the ashes is the mentorship presence of Tom Thibodeau — a calm-minded, proven tactician with a stiff, defense-first approach in the game.
Some may have Julius Randle — the man who shouted “New York, we here!” while raising the bar of his compelling game, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award and being recognized as an All-star for the first time in his career last season.
But from the minds of the former Knicks icon Carmelo Anthony, executive Leon Rose shall receive his very own flowers and recognition for being the architect of Mecca’s revival in the basketball scene.
Having an interview with Ian Begley and Scott Thompson of SNY, Anthony said Rose deserves more credit as the President of the Knickerbockers.
“It’s very hard to come in and do what they’re doing, what they started, what they created as far as starting from the ground up,” the future Hall of Famer said. “When I say that, it’s getting everything out, clearing everything out, bringing in the right people. But not doing it in a frantic way, not doing it in [by] taking advantage of power. It’s just coming in, talking to people, getting to know people, understanding people, understanding what was happening before and being able to clean that up and build on that. I think people need to talk about that a lot more.
“That’s a very difficult task coming in for somebody who was an agent prior to being a president of the New York Knicks. That’s a big task so I’ll tip my hat off to those guys for what they’ve accomplished, what they’ve established so far.”
Rose, as the President of the Knicks since 2020, played a fundamental role in signing Thibodeau and the blossoming of Randle prior to last season. He molded the team into a respective squad and helped New York to finally reach the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Last offseason, he made impactful moves wherein the team acquired star point guard Kemba Walker and French sharpshooter Evan Fournier.
While he isn’t an engaging figure who always shy away from cameras and microphones, Rose shall be given a warm acknowledgement by the die-hard Knicks fans for a job well done in turning the tables around.
