NY Knicks: Pundits praise Knicks for hiring Walt Perrin to front office

Initial reviews are extremely positive over the New York Knicks reported hiring of scouting guru Walt Perrin.

When was the last time the New York Knicks made a move that received universal praise across the NBA landscape?

Shortly after news broke that New York was planning to hire former Jazz executive Walt Perrin as assistant general manager under Scott Perry, the positive reviews started to stream in across #NBATwitter.

Perrin was one of the longest tenured members of a Utah Jazz organization that has found success relying on scouting over market appeal. The Jazz have won at least 50 games in two of the past three seasons, and were on pace to do it again this year had the league not been shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Perrin is expected to be the head of college scouting for the Knicks, working under general manager Scott Perry, who was retained for the 2020-21 season.

While with Utah, Perrin was instrumental in finding a plethora of young players, including Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, two stars who were acquired in draft day deals, and neither top ten obvious picks.

The Knicks are only three years removed from the Phil Jackson‘s era. The former player and Hall-of-Fame coach received criticism for his lack of presence at scouting events. Under Steve Mills and Scott Perry, the Knicks improved in that area, but Perrin should take it to the next level, as he is known for his incredible work ethic on the road.

"“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,” said Salt Lake Tribune writer Andy Larsen."

In these uncertain times leading up to a draft in which the Knicks have multiple first round picks, Perrin’s presence in the Knicks scouting department is important. He has been searching for creative ways to scout from afar using technology and statistical modeling. He played a key role running draft workouts for Utah.

Before taking the job with the Jazz, Perrin was a scout for the Detroit Pistons, where his time briefly overlapped with Scott Perry’s tenure with the organization. Perrin also scouted for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For Knicks fans, they can only hope this hiring is a positive step in the right direction towards building a competent front office that can lead the team back to prominence.

Perrin will join new president Leon Rose and cap specialist Brock Aller as the new voices leading the rebuild at Madison Square Garden.