Knicks Fumble Mitchell Deal

The Knicks’ front office dysorganization doomed the Donovan Mitchell trade.

See: NY Post 9/15/22

The Leon Rose management team lost Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers because of a flawed and indecisive front office. Marc Berman wrote, citing “many” unnamed sources, “Rose’s front office hierarchy is confusing”, especially during trade talks when a unified position is most important. Citing another anonymous source, “They (the Knicks) had a break away layup and blew it.”

The cost of outbidding Cleveland would have been too high for a team like the Knicks with such a weak and largely untested roster. What is most concerning is the repeated instances of indecisive leadership.

Leon Rose hired Tom Thibodeau, not Mike D’Antoni or any other known quantity, as the person who was going to set the culture and identity of the Knicks. Was this pose an escape from the responsibility of leading the Knicks? Of course the culture and identity were Rose’s responsibility, and he was setting them when he CHOSE Thibs.

The Knick organization has refused to take questions from the media. This lack of real communication typifies the behavior of ‘back room wheeler dealers’. The ‘tell’ on the Rose Group is that they spin their side of a story to fit the few details we already know. WWW’s Barkley dinner is just such an example. That David Fizdale was the one who insisted on drafting Kevin Knox was another. “According to a source, David Fizdale … loved Sexton dating back to his 2018 pre-draft workout with the Knicks.” If you are not going to allow yourself to face accountability, then you will be held accountable in absentia., with leaks and rumors the greater part of the evidence.

Hopes were high when the search for a new head of BB Ops began. Masai Ujiri was said to be very interested in coming to New York and using the city as a more prominent platform for his Africanbasketball initiatives. The thud could be felt with the announcement that Leon Rose, players’ agent and the man who twice got over on James Dolan, was named. Rather than a true FO mastermind, we got another JD crony.

At first, it seemed that Leon Rose would draw on the expertise of Brock Aller, Frank Zanin and Walt Perrin and make the final decisions himself. As mentioned, Rose hired Tom Thibodeau and his well known ways as HC. The Knicks passed on Tyrese Halliburton to draft Obi Toppin because the Julius Randle signing had not produced good results and he was to be replaced at or before the end of his contract. The remainder of he Walt Perrin led decisions were very sound. They form a solid nucleus of young players. Rose passed on drafting at 11 this year in order to pay/overpay Jalen Brunson.

There are some undeniable facts regarding the Leon Rose stewardship of the New York Knicks.

1. The FO roster moves changed a 4^th place, over achieving team into an 11^th place underachiever.
2. Leon Rose chose Tom Thibodeau as his HC and then failed to support him with players that fit Thibs’ style.
3. RJ Barrett was given a contract extension before he was able to prove that he deserved one. Was it a coincidence that the contract was made official the same day Donovan Mitchell signed with the Cavs?
4. Leon Rose and company are hiding from answering tough questions.
5. They failed to move down in this year’s draft. It was rumored that nobody wanted to trade with them. Well, the rumors were numerous, and our only source of news.

Since the Rose team has supplemented expertise with ‘connections’, we must believe that there is the dream of bringing a super star to MSG either as a FA or a trade piece. Perhaps the front office suits call that a plan. Does stashing all those picks under his mattress help Leon sleep comforted that his prize will come, or do the chancy possibilities of swings and misses keep him up half the night?