The New York Knicks have hired Scott Perry to be the next general manager. Why should you love the decision to bring Perry to New York?
The New York Knicks have officially moved on from the Phil Jackson era. With Steve Mills preparing to take over as team president and Scott Perry signing on to become the next general manager, the Knicks are embracing the need to build a sustainable future.
For as respected as Perry is around the NBA, however, the level of excitement amongst Knicks fans doesn’t quite measure up.
New York recently agreed to terms with the Sacramento Kings to officially remove Perry from his previous position as Sacramento’s vice president. It will send a 2019 second-round draft pick and cash considerations to the Kings.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the compensation has cleared the way for Perry to sign a five-year deal to become the new general manager of the Knicks.
Scott Perry has agreed to a five-year contract to become New York's general manager, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 14, 2017
The future has been secured, but what exactly does that mean for the Knicks?
The hiring of Perry is a rare display of the Knicks not jumping at the first big name they could find. Missing out on David Griffin was a disappointing turn of events to some, but Perry may prove to be the better fit long-term.
The question is: Why should you love the New York Knicks signing Scott Perry to become the organization’s new general manager?
5. Improving The Reputation
The Phil Jackson era dealt yet another blow to the already damaged reputation of the New York Knicks in free agency. Some might argue that the issue was overcome when Steve Mills signed Tim Hardaway Jr., but even that required an overpay and a previous connection.
By hiring Scott Perry as general manager, the Knicks have immediately become a more desirable organization.
Perry has solid connections around the league and has great media relationships. The conversation about the Kings had definitely changed.
— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) July 13, 2017
It would be irrational to assume that free agents will flock to New York based on Perry’s arrival alone. It is, however, fair to believe that an executive who has good connections with players and fellow executives can put the Knicks in a better position to succeed.
New York City isn’t enough to draw free agents to The Mecca, but a general manager with whom players get along could make it a bargaining chip once again.
Beyond free agency, the Knicks should have an easier path towards negotiating trades with a respected executive in the front office. Perry can utilize his relationships with fellow general managers to engage in favorable trade discussions—and he can do so without carrying the stigma that hurt those before him.
It’s also worth noting that Perry has a good rapport with the media, which could curtail the negative press New York so often receives—an admittedly ambitious goal.
4. The Detroit Pistons Years
Over the past 10 years, Scott Perry has worked for the Seattle SuperSonics, Orlando Magic, and Sacramento Kings. He’s helped those organizations take advantage of the NBA Draft, and has earned the respect of his peers for his work ethic and attention to detail.
No tenure of Perry’s career offers more reason for intrigue, however, than the success he experienced with the Detroit Pistons.
Perry worked on the staff assembled by former Pistons general manager Joe Dumars. During his tenure, Detroit became one of the most consistently successful and criminally underrated teams in NBA history.
Between 2002-03 and 2006-07—Perry’s last season in Detroit—the Pistons won an NBA championship and made two NBA Finals appearances.
Nearly as impressive is the fact that Detroit made six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances between 2003 and 2008. One of the trips postdated Perry, but it was still a team that he helped assemble—a team of overlooked and generally discarded players.
Based on the decisions that Perry influenced at his future stops, it’s clear that he learned strong principles on how to build a champion in Detroit.
3. Valuing The NBA Draft
The New York Knicks have turned disregarding the value of the NBA Draft into an art form. Between 2010 and 2016, the Knicks were without a first-round draft pick on four separate occasions—and two of the four selections are no longer on the roster.
Thankfully, new general manager Scott Perry has a well-documented history of valuing and utilizing the NBA Draft in the cultivation of quality teams.
During his lone season with the Seattle SuperSonics, Perry was one of the driving forces behind the campaign for Kevin Durant. He was also a part of the Detroit Pistons front office that drafted Tayshaun Prince in 2002, and Mehmet Okur in 2001.
In Orlando, he helped acquire Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo, and Elfrid Payton over the course of two historically underwhelming NBA Draft cycles.
It’s worth noting that Perry was an assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines between 1993 and 1997, including the 1994 run to the Elite Eight. He was also the head coach for Eastern Kentucky from 1997 to 2000, thus creating unique perspective on the value of the NBA Draft.
New York may already have a core of four promising young players, but the NBA Draft is vital to helping teams find quality talent on team-friendly contracts.
2. Emphasis On Defense
As previously alluded to, Scott Perry played a key role in helping Joe Dumars build the brilliant Detroit Pistons teams of the 2000s. As was also touched upon, Perry played a prominent role in the drafting process for the Seattle SuperSonics, Orlando Magic, and Sacramento Kings.
The consistent theme throughout all four of those tenures is that Perry understands the value of defense in the NBA—no matter the era.
In Orlando, Perry helped with the selections of 2014 Lefty Driesell Award* winner Elfrid Payton, 2013 NABC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Victor Oladipo, and 2014 Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year Aaron Gordon.
Gordon, Oladipo, and Payton aren’t stars, but it’s worth noting that they were quality players found in historically underwhelming draft classes.
At the 2017 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings’ first-round selections were De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, and Harry Giles—three players heralded for their defensive potential.
Coupled with the all-time defense that Detroit played in the early, mid, and late-2000s, Perry has a genuine defensive pedigree.
That should be music to the ears of New York Knicks fans after the team ranked in the bottom third of the league in scoring defense and defensive efficiency.
The New York Knicks have built their greatest eras on the strength of legendary defenses, and Perry is the type of mind who can restore that glory.
* – The Lefty Driesell Award is given to the most outstanding defensive player in NCAA Division I competition.
1. Extensive Experience As An Executive
Perhaps the biggest problem during the James Dolan era has been the lack of executives with experience in office. Donnie Walsh was splendid, but the likes of Phil Jackson and Isiah Thomas faced steep learning curves due to their limited exposure to their new roles.
By hiring Scott Perry to be the new general manager, the New York Knicks have committed to trusting an executive with experience.
Perry received his first job as an NBA executive in 2000, when he joined Joe Dumars’ regime with the Detroit Pistons. Over the course of the 17 years that have followed, he’s earned the respect of his peers with his work for multiple organizations.
Having established what it is that makes Perry special, it’s safe to say that his extensive sample size validates the belief that he’s deserving of this opportunity.
In New York, Perry will have a chance to prove that his outlook on team-building can be successful in the modern era. If he develops a good working relationship with team president Steve Mills, the Knicks will be in a better place.
With a promising young core already in place, Perry will enter a promising situation that will require every ounce of his financial creativity and forward thinking.
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It won’t be easy, but Scott Perry has the experience and knowledge to be the general manager who helps return the New York Knicks to glory.