LEON ROSE & WORLD WIDE WES: Godfathers
BROCK ALLER: Vice President & Strategic Planning
SCOTT PERRY: General Manager
WALT PERRIN & FRANK ZANIN: Assistant General Managers
KEVIN WILSON & ADAM TATLOVICH: European Scouts
Our sundry roster moves, and deals for assets and draft picks appear to be the product of a collective council of elders chaired by Leon Rose, and informed by a wide range of thinkers behind the scene, including conceilerge Aller and capos Perry, Perrin & Zanin [Aller a master capologist Rose gobbled up from the Cavs, Perrin, a very informed college scout and talent evaluator, who was pivotal in the Jazz gobbling up Hayward & Gobert and moving up in the draft with Denver to target Mitchell, while Zanin was a top scout for OKC's Trader ].
* Worth remembering that the trade in which we divested ourselves of Rivers and Brazdeikis seemingly to only create cap space and cut the warm bodies we received, got us the seemingly useless late second rounder from Philly [#58] with which we secured the Balls of Jericho Sims.
* Worth remembering that when Scott Perry traded Morris to the Clippers, we got back Moe Harkless, but more significantly, the late first rounder which after a series of up and down moves, became World Wide Wes fave Immanuel Quickley, who had reportedly been on the Knicks radar for two years. However, we also got the Clippers second rounder [#32, obtained from Detroit in the Blake Griffin deal], which, presumably due to a working relationship with the Thunder, vis a vis former Thunder scout Frank Zainin, was shipped to the Thunder for #34 and #36 for Euro-Stash Combo Guard Rokas Jokubaitis [currently tearing things up in Spain] and Thibs love child, PG Miles McBride.
* Worth remembering that the working relationship Zanin had with Sam Presti may have played a roll in the intelligence which got us a post-buyout deal on Kemba.
* Worth remembering that the seemingly unintelligble moves with our #19 and #21 picks with the Hornets and Clippers, flipped our #1 with Charlotte for their #1 pick in 2022 [which conveys in the event they finish better than #18 in the draft order, which right now, looks very likely for this much improved team] while the Clippers #1 flip deal got us [ho-hum] yet another future #2 pick, and the #25 pick with which the Knicks both saved cap money in 2021, and selected Devil Dawg defender and sniper Quentin Grimes.
* Worth remembering that someone amongst Aller, Perry, Perrin & Zanin, thought enough of failed former Spurs 2019 #1 pick, 6'10" stretch forward Luka Samanic to a two way deal when the was waived by San Antonio. Coach Pops had some nice things to say about him on his way out the door, and while it is only G League, and there are lingering questions about his motor and motivation, he has been tearing it up for Westchester.
* Worth remembering that we passed on the likes of Haliburton and Avdija to select Obi Toppin in 2020, a move which seemed, oh, odd...redundant at the time, particularly with the emergence of Julius Randle, and for the past year and change, Obi has been part of every lame ass, Brad Dressler/Stephen A. Smith phantasy trade out of town...but who with every minute of floor time is looking like a fucking prescient move on the part of Leon Rose, who was purportedly a big, big Obi booster in his first draft...
So, to extend on what Kam already noted, Quickley, Toppin, Grimes, Sims , McBride, Joubaitis, Samanic .
That's seven, count 'em, SEVEN legitimate prospects, four of whom [IQ, Obi, Quentin, Jericho] are already paying legit dividends, one of whom is waiting for his shot [McBride], and two of whom [the Lithuanian Jokubaitis & the Croatian Samanic] are simmering in the slow cooker crock pot of top tier Euro power FC Barcelona and the Westchester Knicks.
Eight if we count the earthly remains of Kevin Knox, whom may yet to be heard from again as next man up. NINE if we count the [cough] 21 year old RJ Barrett, for fuck's sake.
Of course, the Knicks struggling as they have....HAHA....ONLY 11-9 at the quarter pole, the douche nozzles in the media are quick to assign blame to LEON ROSE, vis a vis the struggles of Kemba and Evan. And of course, fair weather fans demonizing Randle's struggles.
Well...
FUCK Y'ALL
Kemba, Burks, Noel, Gibson, Rose guaranteed on reasonable contracts for two years, with a team option on year three. Julius re-signed for John Collins money on a very team friendly deal. Fournier getting Hardaway money for three with a fourth year option.
We have a cornucopia of #2 picks.
We have two #1 picks in 2022.
We have two #1 picks in 2023.
We have a top tier coaching staff, and assets up the wazoo, in the [HIGHLY UNLIKELY] event that the likes of Bradley Beal, Zach Lavine, Damian Lillard or...ZION WILLIAMSON are in play as trade options.
The Suns debacle was a reality check.
However, so was the Hawks game, and yes, they were missing Hunter, BB and Reddish, but we were missing Kemba AND, Nerlens and Taj AND Rose, and the Hawks still had Trae and Collins and Capella and Sweet Lou, and we shut them down in the fourth.
So the second quarter cycle, the next 20 games, promise to also be up and down, up and down, but the fact that we are arguing about our playoff status on November 29, and not already looking ahead to the Draft Lottery?
Well...
To be a Knicks Fan Is To SUFFER, motherfuckers, but Godfather Leon has given us something tangible to root for, solid [if struggling] vets, and after decades of eating our young and giving away draft picks, a legit stash of draft assets, and a host of actual factual puppies, growing up before our eyes, play by play, game by game [NOTE: How about that pass by Grimes to Obi for the Atomic Pterodactyl JAMMA SLAMMA].
So Kemba and Evan, Julius and RJ are struggling?
GROW THE FUCK UP KNICKS FANS. We are in the hunt, and deep in legit puppies and draft assets. All of this will work itself out in a fiercely competitive Eastern Conference where everyone got better, even the bottom feeders.
Leon & Thibs' Grades are A- to me. Certain issues to be resolved, but not too shabby. Hell, even the Luka Vildoza experiment cost us naught but money, and not even eating in to our 2021-22 budget.
HAVING SAID THAT...BROOKLYN ON TUESDAY.
WOW!
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