New York Knicks: 5 things fans can be thankful for

4. A Head Basketball Executive Who Seems To Know What He’s Doing

Leon Rose has experienced all of his major “firsts” with the New York Knicks by now. He hired his first coach to lead a young and developing roster in Tom Thibodeau. He has completed his first NBA Draft, selecting Obi Toppin with the 8th overall pick, and Immanuel Quickley with the 25th pick in the first round. He’s also strategically maneuvered his way through his first free agency period as a team executive, and may still have other ideas on the white board before the season starts in a little less than a month.

But so far, so good. There hasn’t been a super splashy move made just yet, like moving up in the lottery to select a possible blue chip prospect, or a blockbuster trade to bring in an established veteran, but the team continues to maintain flexibility to make a move like that in the near future. Granted, if the Knicks are two or three years in and there’s not a blue chip player on the roster, there’s going to be a problem and boo birds (do birds need to be vaccinated too?) on the horizon—but for right now, prudent moves were made.

Toppin was considered one of the best athletes in the draft, and at 22 years old (somewhat on the older side for a lottery pick these days), has minimal bust potential, which is something New York fans have little to no patience for at this point and time. While Quickley may or may not be a viable point guard in the NBA, he does have an NBA skill that the team was in desperate need of: outside shooting. He shot 42% from deep on nearly 5 attempts a game at Kentucky.

In free agency, Rose brought in veteran scoring guard help in the form of Alec Burks and Austin Rivers on short term deals, and brought in still (somehow) young defensive center help in Nerlens Noel. Additionally, for having Ed Davis on the roster for all of one day, Rose acquired a total of three future second round picks in separate deals with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Hang tight on Thibodeau—we’ve got more on him a little later.