Knicks: Why retaining Scott Perry makes sense, for now
Nothing is permanent
What do you call someone on a one-year deal? This isn’t the start of a bad joke (well, maybe it is). You call that person a lame duck. So I suppose Scott Perry received a slight promotion from “on his way out the door” to “lame duck.”
It’s not uncommon for new executives to keep direct reports from previous regimes for a period of time to learn as much as they can during the transition process, before ultimately deciding to bring in their own people. Think of it like a data dump.
As Rose tries to navigate the complicated inner walls of Madison Square Garden, it will be helpful to have people who have made decisions under James Dolan. He can learn from their mistakes. He can gain insight into how Dolan operates. He can assess whether there is an organizational problem, or a personnel issue in building a winning team.
In 2017, Leon Rose worked closely with Scott Perry on the Carmelo Anthony trade to OKC; Rose had leaned on Perry since taking over as NYK president. So Perry’s one-year deal to be GM under Rose doesn’t mean he’s just a short-term bridge to another GM: pic.twitter.com/UpcYGA8MiH
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 29, 2020
While Ian Begley suggests Rose might keep Perry long-term, the two have a previous relationship from the Carmelo Anthony trade to Oklahoma City, don’t be surprised if Perry’s exercised option buys him months more than an entire calendar year.
Whenever basketball returns to normal operations, and teams either finish or don’t finish the 2019-20 season, new candidates could emerge to take over the role of long-term GM of the Knicks. Right now, with everything on hold, perhaps making a long-term decision on the general manager of the team can wait a bit too.