New York Knicks: Steve Mills outlines Scott Perry’s job description
Many have questioned how much influence Scott Perry will have as general manager. New York Knicks president Steve Mills answered that very question.
Over the course of the past three months, Scott Perry has been hired to do the unthinkable—twice. The Sacramento Kings brought Perry onboard as the new vice president in April, and the New York Knicks acquired him from Sacramento in July.
After making good on his promise to help resurrect the Kings, Perry will attempt to do the same with the Knicks ub his, “Dream job.”
Understandable as the excitement may be, a lingering sense of skepticism remains amongst Knicks fans. There’s a growing fear that Perry’s influence will be limited due to the fact that he’ll be second in command as far as the front office is concerned.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, president Steve Mills addressed the concerns by outlining Perry’s job description in an in-depth manner.
"“I’m going to give Scott the room to make basketball decisions and make recommendations to me. He’s going to have a chance to manage the coaching staff, manage the scouting staff, and make recommendations as to where we should go as a basketball organization. I think we’ll be partners in that in the sense that he’ll come to me with his recommendation and we’ll debate it back and forth. But at the end of the day, I’m giving him the room to make those decisions.”"
Some fear that Mills will undermine Perry in the same way Jackson is believed to have undermined his staff members, but the active president’s quote implies that the culture has changed.
During his brief stint in Sacramento, Perry orchestrated an offseason that’s been heralded as a potential resurrection of a lowly organization. He led the Kings through a masterful drafting process, and played a key role in the signing of respected veterans to mentor the younger players.
The Kings’ new additions include veterans Vince Carter, George Hill, and Zach Randolph, and first-round draft picks De’Aaron Fox, Harry Giles, and Justin Jackson.
The Knicks selected Frank Ntilikina at the 2017 NBA Draft, and have minimal cap space to work with in free agency, but there’s still work to be done.
Based on Mills’ description of Perry’s job, it appears as though he’s going to be mixing general manager work with consulting. He’ll have significant influence over the coaching and scouting staffs, and will have his voice heard—and opinion valued—as far as the roster is concerned.
The role is still somewhat loosely defined, but it’s fair to surmise that Mills will have the final say on major decisions, while Perry will be providing him with consistent input.
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Some fear that New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry will be pigeonholed, but with the options he had, the 17-year veteran wouldn’t have taken the job without knowing what it entailed.