Getty New York Knicks president Leon Rose and VP William Wesley look on during a bout with the Chicago Bulls.
It wasn’t that long ago that New York Knicks fans were growing impatient with team president Leon Rose en masse. After building a roster that broke a postseason drought — as a top-four seed, no less — during the 2020-21 campaign, Rose came back in 2021-22 with a team that crashed back to earth in a big, bad way.
As many saw it, that regression to the lottery zone was a direct result of Rose eschewing the acquisition of another big gun and instead signing/re-signing a bevy of aging, middle-of-the-road vets (and doing so for too much money).
Even the team’s later move to bring Jalen Brunson to NYC was pooh-poohed by some. Brunson may have been coming off of a career year, but the baller’s relatively scant record as a lead guard and $104-million price tag was a tough combination to swallow.
Flash forward to now, though, and with the Knicks riding a six-game winning streak to the top five of the Eastern Conference standings, fans on social media have been walking back some of their past criticism and lining up to acknowledge Rose.
Knicks Fans Heaping Praise Upon Leon Rose
Over on the Knicks Subreddit, a fan felt compelled to give Rose the flowers that have eluded him over the last 12-18 months, writing:
“Many of us were damn quick to crucify the guy for not getting a superstar in here a few months ago. In respect, we need to acknowledge when he shows patience, sticks to the plan, and doesn’t sell out our future for a big name just to appease some impatient piece of the fanbase.”
Those remarks that prompted even more commentary in support of the super-agent turned exec, and are indicative of a greater realization within the Knicks’ corner of the hardwood world.
“Leon legit said back in September that this team would ‘surprise a lot of ppl’ and make the fans proud. He wasn’t wrong,” read one such comment.
“He has done a good job of assembling hard-working and disciplined players. He can’t force a superstar to come to our team, but has tried to leverage assets to make it happen. I think the team now is well-positioned to make a run at the next superstar who becomes available while still being a perennial playoff team,” another Redditor responded.
“For years folks were sick of short sighted win now moves then we finally get an FO that decides to build methodically and people just wanted short sighted win now moves. But we’re seeing some pay off with actual team building now. We’re basically in a spot where we can start making win now moves and it not being a bad idea,” a third fan wrote.
Josh Hart Pushes Back on Savior Narrative
While Rose’s decision to pay a premium for Brunson has arguably been the biggest factor in the Knicks’ year over year improvement, the deadline deal bringing Josh Hart to New York has definitely taken things up a notch. The Knicks have yet to lose since the trade, and Hart has the No. 2 net rating on the team over that span (at 21.0).
As such, fans, members of the media and even the players have latched onto the notion of a “Hart Effect” propelling the team forward. After the Knicks’ big win over the Boston Celtics on Monday, Immanuel Quickley invaded MSG’s postgame coverage just so he could ask Hart what it felt like to be “the reason” the team is winning.
For his part, though, Hart — who’s averaging 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in a Knicks uniform — is over the savior angle. So much so, in fact, that he dropped the following tweet after the Cs affair:
Honestly hate this 6-0 since trade headline. Let’s put it to bed. The teams hooping and clicking, TOGETHER!
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Knicks Nation Sounds Off on Leon Rose’s Performance as Team President