New York Knicks: 5 reasons to be excited about Walt Perrin

Usually the hiring of an assistant GM is met with a golf clap, but New York Knicks fans should be excited about Walt Perrin joining the front office.

The New York Knicks are reportedly hiring former Utah Jazz scouting expert Walt Perrin to join their front office as assistant general manager and head of college scouting. The timing of the move is important, as the Knicks try to prepare for the 2020 NBA draft after an abbreviated scouting season.

While the NBA has postponed the draft lottery and combine, there has been no word yet on what will happen to the actual draft, which is scheduled to be held on June 25, 2020. Obviously that date will eventually change. The league is hoping to finish the 2019-20 regular season, perhaps restarting in late June or early July.

The hiring of Perrin came as a surprise on Monday. There hasn’t been many rumors about the Knicks continuing their search for new front office blood. In fact, it seemed everything was on pause during the coronavirus shutdown.

However, despite the slowdown in on-court activity, Leon Rose is keeping the wheels turning at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks decided to keep Scott Perry for at least one more season, since his option was up on May 1. They also hired cap specialist Brock Aller.

Perrin brings an impressive resume to New York, having spent the past 19 years building up the Utah Jazz franchise by identifying young talent from Gordon Hayward to Rudy Gobert to Donovan Mitchell.

As the hiring of Perrin was met with widespread praise from pundits across the NBA social media landscape, there are several reasons for Knicks fans to be excited about the new hire.

1) 2020 Draft prep

When the coronavirus pandemic shuddered the NBA schedule, it also cut short the scouting season and postponed pre-draft workouts. Whether NBA teams will get a chance to work out players in person down the road is uncertain, but what we do know is this scouting season is different than any other in basketball history.

For the Knicks, who have two first round picks, as well as an early second round pick, they need all of the help they can get in preparing for the 2020 draft. Perrin understands the scouting landscape as well as anyone. Working as a scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons, before spending 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz, he has seen it all, scouted it all.

He brings immense knowledge to the Knicks front office. Obviously, he was doing his homework for Utah before taking the job in New York. In fact, a recent article talked about him using technology and statistical modeling to prepare for the draft while stuck at home.

By keeping Scott Perry on board for one more season, Leon Rose has preserved the previous work the Knicks front office has done in preparing for the draft, while adding fresh perspective with the hire of Perrin.

The Knicks should be well-prepared, or as prepared as you can be, given the current conditions, for the ever-important 2020 draft.

2) Donovan Mitchell, anyone?

It seems the Knicks have been linked to local product Donovan Mitchell since his first few months in the league. Drafted 13th overall in the 2017 NBA draft, five picks after the Phil Jackson front office selected Frank Ntilikina, Mitchell quickly turned into a star in the league.

Perrin is credited for scouting Mitchell and convincing the Utah front office to select him.

In talking about how Mitchell got on his radar, Perrin said he is “close friends” with a few agents around the league, including Mitchell’s agent Ty Sullivan. In talking to Sullivan, Perrin got a first look at Mitchell during a pre-draft workout, and the rest is history.

Mitchell’s name circulated in trade rumors after teammate Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Before learning of his diagnosis, Gobert put his teammates at risk with a cavalier attitude about the potential spread of the novel coronavirus. Both Mitchell and his father, who works for the New York Mets, ended up testing positive for the virus.

While the two are supposedly ready to move forward and put the ordeal behind them, with Perrin in New York, expect trade rumors to pick up steam again. And perhaps the added push of Perrin will get a deal done.

3) A tireless worker

When Phil Jackson was president of the New York Knicks, he was caught napping during a pre-draft workout. After signing a five-year, $60 million contract to come to New York, the Hall-of-Fame coach, whose health prevented him from returning to the bench, wasn’t known for his extensive travel schedule in scouting players. The example seemed to flow down the Knicks organization.

While Steve Mills and Scott Perry improved their face time at scouting events, Walt Perrin brings a reputation as a prodigious canvasser of basketball talent.

"“Perhaps no member of the Jazz’s front office has traveled as much as Perrin over the past 19 years to various college games, player camps, and other scouting opportunities.” ~ The Salt Lake Tribune"

For the first time under James Dolan, the Knicks have a cupboard full of draft picks, both in the first and second round. They will need someone like Perrin, who has built a wide-angled view of the college landscape, to help them turn those picks into NBA talent.

Knicks fans have been waiting for a proper rebuild through the draft. The man who is now in charge of identifying talent won’t be sleeping on the job.

4) Respect around the league

However the 2019-20 season concludes, by traditional measures, the Knicks will have failed to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. (It’s possible the NBA adopts a play-in tournament that would technically put them in a postseason tournament.)

After the Knicks built a reputation in the nineties as a tough team who was never an easy out in the playoffs, whether they were facing the Heat, Pacers, or Jordan’s Bulls, the past two decades have turned the franchise into a laughingstock.

With the arrival of former super-agent Leon Rose, the hiring of cap specialist Brock Aller, and the addition of Walt Perrin, the Knicks are starting to assemble a front office with wide respect among NBA executives and players.

Perrin brings instant credibility to the Knicks. Fans worried about Scott Perry being retained from the Steve Mills era need not worry. Rose is making it clear that he is set on assembling the best group of talent to build up the Knicks roster.

5) A future GM?

When new president Leon Rose decided to exercise Scott Perry’s option for the 2020-21 season, many speculated it was a short-term decision. Why not keep Perry on board while Rose learns the ropes of the Garden, and then decide on a long-term solution over time?

The addition of Walt Perrin gives the Knicks a possible future candidate for the lead general manager position. Perrin has climbed the ranks from scout to scouting director to Vice President of player personnel to assistant GM with the Knicks. Whatever his title, he has put in the grunt work to understand the ins and outs of evaluating talent and constructing an NBA roster.

Perrin has been credited for helping the Jazz maintain competitiveness over the past two decades, including a recent string of 50-win seasons. Working in a market that can’t rely on the name of the city to attract free agents, Perrin has used his scouting acumen to keep the Jazz roster stocked with talent.

He brings his small market efficiencies to the Big Apple, a perfect fit for a franchise long on braun and short on smarts.