Knicks president Leon Rose continues to hide from accountability.
Everyone on the New York Knicks deserves blame for this disaster of a season. From the players to the coaching staff and all the way up to the front office, there’s enough blame to go around.
The final dagger in this embarrassment of a season may have come on Wednesday night when New York blew a 28-point lead to the Brooklyn Nets.
Mind you, these Nets were playing without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, and Joe Harris — their four highest-paid players.
This was the dagger in the game and it felt like the final dagger in the Knicks’ season
Conversely, Nets role players are thriving. This team is gonna be “scary” when everyone comes back pic.twitter.com/6xgtysYXJP
— Danny Small (@dwsmall8) February 17, 2022
Unfortunately, only two Knicks groups have had to be accountable this year — the players and the coaching staff.
When players screw up, they have to face the fans in MSG or the media after the game. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is required to speak to the media before and after every game.
However, Leon Rose is nowhere to be found. Despite nearly all of his moves going sideways this year, Rose has not had to answer for any of these poor decisions.
Signing Evan Fournier to a huge deal in the offseason, acquiring Kemba Walker to be the starting point guard, and extending Julius Randle are just a few of the questionable moves Rose has made over the last year.
Randle was killed by fans and media alike for his poor performance earlier this year. Fans and media continued to criticize the one-time All-Star when he avoided the media during his slump.
So, that begs the question: Why does Leon Rose receive a hall pass for avoiding the media his entire tenure as president of the Knicks?
Most NBA front-office executives like to operate from the background. This isn’t something that is unique to Rose and the Knicks, but they are taking it to an absurd level.
Don’t believe me? Do a quick Google search of Rose’s media appearances since he was hired in March of 2020. The former super-agent turned executive has spoken with the media once.
In fact, that is giving Rose and the Knicks far too much credit. He spoke to play-by-play man Mike Breen for a grand total of 24 minutes on a segment for MSG Networks. That barely qualifies as speaking to the media. It was much closer to a PR puff piece than anything else.
That interview took place in June of 2020 and we’ve heard nary a sound from Rose since. Instead, we have seen a flurry of his moves turn sour and it’s resulting in a season that is a complete and utter waste for the franchise.
Thibodeau’s job is regularly being called into question and Randle’s name was frequently brought up in trade rumors, but Rose never has to face the music for his poor decision-making.
No one is asking for Rose to provide unfettered access to the media. There’s no need for a Steve Mills-esque impromptu interview after a poor performance. This isn’t a call for owner James Dolan to start exerting his influence on front-office decision-making.
But it would be nice to hear from Rose once in a while.
The Knicks have a long history of questionable tactics when it comes to the media. The NBA doled out a $25,000 fine for failing to make Randle available to the media earlier this year. They were fined $50,000 for barring a Daily News reporter from a press conference in 2019.
Way back in 2018, Dolan confirmed in an interview with ESPN that he keeps clip-file dossiers on any reporter who covers the Knicks or Rangers. Although ESNY has been barred from MSG for the last two seasons due to COVID regulations, it’s safe to assume that this article is going directly into my file.
Media paranoia is not the exception to the rule in Madison Square Garden. It is a way of life and it’s giving Rose a pass he does not deserve.
Sooner or later, he needs to speak up. Whether that’s during the upcoming All-Star break or after Thibs is fired as the sacrificial lamb, Rose needs to stop running from the smoke.
