For a long time, the New York Knicks were seen as one of the laughingstocks of the NBA. That narrative seemed to change once Leon Rose came to town. On March 2, 2020, the now 63-year-old was named the Knicks team president. He had the difficult task of taking over a franchise that had missed the playoffs in each of the seven previous seasons.
Since Rose has come on board, New York has made the postseason in three of the four seasons. They have advanced to the second round of the playoffs in each of the past two years. They hadn’t accomplished that since 1999 and 2000. Despite the vast improvement from the team, many Knicks fans may not recognize the man or his voice as Rose has remained in the background.
Knicks President Once Again Declines To Speak With Media
Rose Has Remained Silent Throughout Tenure
One thing has remained constant in Rose’s tenure. He hasn’t given the media his time. Many teams allow the media at the end of the season to speak with the front office, but Rose and the Knicks decided against it.
Knicks president Leon Rose has declined a request to hold an end-of-season media availability.
No high-ranking Knicks executive has spoken on the record to independent media since September 2021. Rose is yet to do a solo press conference since taking over Knicks in April 2020.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 24, 2024
Due to his history with the team, the decision can’t be seen as unexpected. Some believe that they deserve to hear from Rose and the team as paying customers. Others are more okay with it especially since the Knicks have been doing a lot more winning of late. New York has made plenty of impact moves to improve the roster during Rose’s time.
From Overpay to Underpay
The most notable move that the Knicks have made under Rose is the free-agent signing of Jalen Brunson. In the 2022 offseason, Brunson and New York agreed on a four-year deal worth $104 million. The contract was widely panned as being an overpay. That belief no longer exists. The 27-year-old Brunson finished fifth in MVP voting this season and was named to the All-NBA Second Team.
At the 2023 trade deadline, the Knicks acquired Josh Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers. As seen since joining the team, nobody embodies all-out effort quite like the 29-year-old. Despite being listed at just six-foot-four, Hart averaged 8.3 rebounds in the regular season and 11.5 in the postseason in 2023-24.
Right before the year 2024 kicked off, New York shipped out RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in a deal that netted them OG Anunoby. While the 26-year-old Anunoby dealt with both elbow and calf ailments that kept him off the court frequently, his impact couldn’t be overstated when he was in the lineup. The team went 20-3 with him during the regular season. One of the better defenders in the league, the Knicks have a big decision to make on the upcoming unrestricted free agent.
A move that didn’t bat any eyes when it was announced was the signing of Isaiah Hartenstein. The 26-year-old signed a two-year, $16 million deal in the 2022 offseason. He has outplayed that contract, and another important decision for the Knicks will be if they bring back the seven-footer who will be an unrestricted free agent. As long as the Knicks keep winning, fewer fans will care if they hear from Rose.
