CAA implicitly ran the Knicks for years.
Now, CAA’s top basketball agent – Leon Rose – will explicitly run the Knicks.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Knicks and player agent Leon Rose of CAA are nearing deal to make him new head of basketball ops., league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2020
Knicks have begun finalizing plans to bring Rose and William Wesley into potential basketball ops. structure, sources say. https://t.co/YxO3xVtDnL
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2020
The Knicks reportedly targeted an agent to replace Steve Mills, trying to emulate the success of the Warriors with Bob Myers and Lakers with Rob Pelinka. But Myers has flourished because of his unique skills. He doesn’t mean any agent can step in and run a front office well.
Will Rose succeed in New York? Maybe. He has spent a long time as a powerful agent, previously representing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Allen Iverson and currently representing Joel Embiid, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns. So, Rose knows how NBA business operates. But he lacks front-office experience and will undoubtedly face new challenges.
One of them will be Knicks owner James Dolan, who’s infamous for interfering in all the worst ways. Rose also represents Carmelo Anthony, so Rose should at least be familiar with Madison Square Garden politics.
William Wesley is better know as “World Wide Wes.” He was once basketball’s most mysterious figure. Now, he’s landing a prominent job with the Knicks. Who would have ever thought?
Rose and Wesley take over mere hours from the trade deadline. General manager Scott Perry had been running the front office. Will New York get organized for moves before 3 p.m.? Particularly, there’s an urgency to handle Marcus Morris, who’s on an expiring contract.
Beyond, Rose must steer the directionless Knicks… somewhere. Will his ability to connect with players help in free agency? New York has infamously struck out lately, putting egg on Dolan’s face. Hiring Rose could be an overcorrection. Don’t assume his soon-to-be-former star clients will reunite with him on the Knicks. That’s not how this works.
But Rose will have a chance to prove his competency as a team executive. It’s not an easy job, and many – Mills, Phil Jackson, Mills – have failed before him. Dolan will always apply pressure, and if Rose slips, Mills remains lurking in the organization.
At least the money should be good, and the prestige of running the Knicks is one heck of an opportunity.
