It is a day that ends with a “Y,” so Knicks president Leon Rose is hiding from the local media.
The Knicks have declined a request from @TheAthleticNBA for team president Leon Rose to hold an on-the-record media availability. Rose has not spoken on the record to independent media in almost two years & has not done a solo news conference since joining Knicks in 2020.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) July 26, 2023
And yes, the headline is correct. Russian president Vladimir Putin has held more press conferences in that span. They are as choreographed as Rose’s sparing appearances on MSG, but still.
We get it. Knicks owner Jim Dolan hates the press. We would imagine there is more truth to ESPN yakker Stephen A. Smith saying Rose is scared of the media than one would think. And there is a loud and surprisingly large contingent of Knicks fans who have downed the Kool-Aid and believe beat writers are their enemies while cheering the Knicks’ silence. All of that adds up.
But what does not compute: Why NBA commissioner Adam Silver allows this nonsense to continue. The Knicks are a flagship franchise in New York City. And for the first time in forever, they are headed in the right direction. Why would Silver stand for them screwing their fans like this? And to be clear, that is what they are doing. Rose’s refusal to provide access makes reporters’ jobs harder, but not impossible. But he does owe his fans — his paying customers — information. And Rose has done a good job! It’s not like when former Giants general manager Jerry Reese went into hiding because his team was a mess. Enough is enough.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
