SPANISH HARLEM – It has been a rough couple weeks if your a fan of New York, except if your an Islanders fan (8.8 seconds), but you catch my drift here.
None have caused more pain and sorrow as the New York Knicks. Let’s be honest, this franchise is running on over 20 years since it has been a contender for an NBA championship. That’s a long time of suffering but fear not Knick fans! I’m here to give you a boost and tell you there are 3 things that should brighten your spirit for the future: Three Reasons To Be Excited About The New York Knicks.
LEON ROSE
The best thing about this guy is he is not Isiah Thomas, Phil Jackson or even Steve Mills. That’s already a plus in my book and I’m only on my second sentence. President of Basketball Operations Leon Rose was known prominently as a sports agent with clients like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and my favorite, Carmelo Anthony. There are rumors that he also helped orchestrate the Big 3 in Miami, as he was Chris Bosh’s agent at the time. He had a lot of power as an agent and still has heavy connections within the NBA.
His right-hand man, World Wide Wes (William Wesley), is with him and looking to make use of the connections he built with Rose. Together they compiled an extensive list of the best NBA players in the game for Creative Artists Agency before joining the Knicks and while they both don’t have experience in running an NBA franchise, they sure have the knowledge of what it’s like dealing with today’s modern NBA player. I think that will help this organization move forward and hopefully makes this a place where great players want to play again.
TOM THIBODEAU
“Thibbs” is the most accomplished coach the Knicks have had in quite some time. He has instantly made every team he was on better. There is no doubt about that.
-The Chicago Bulls went through some rough times before he became coach and every year under his tutelage they became progressively better. They even were considered title favorites at one point.
-The Minnesota Timberwolves were a mess when he got there and though they played in a tough Western Conference, he took them to their first playoffs appearance in over 14 years.
Those were damaged teams and he made them better than what they were before he got there. He deserves a lot of credit for making those teams successful.
The Knicks won’t be an easy task for him but I know he is up for the challenge.
RJ BARRETT
Barrett is the best young player the Knicks have had since Kristaps Porzingis, though he won’t wow us with electric dunks and blocks like Porzingis did. Yet, something tells me he will have a brighter future with the team. His work ethic is unquestioned and he is someone that will put in the effort to be the best player he can be. He doesn’t fear driving to the rim and taking contact. His shot needs to be worked on a bit so he can space the floor better and his free throw percentage was low for someone that attacks the rim. Practice and repetitions will help, as he will have more time to work on his game more than ever before. Barrett is an exciting player and it will be fun to see how much better he gets next season.
Please comment below and come back tomorrow for Different Matt.
Until next time…
