NY Knicks: 3 reasons why Leon Rose deserves Executive of the Year award

Reason #1 – Leon Rose drafted Quickley for the NY Knicks

Not often do you find the steal of the draft at the 25th overall pick, but the Knicks did just that.

Immanuel Quickley has played such an integral role in the Knicks becoming who they are today.

He’s a legitimate Rookie of the Year contender and while he may not win it, his play on the court and work ethic off the court has ‘quickley’ won over the hearts of fans.

See what I did there?

Yaron Weitzman of the NY Post wrote a great piece which I do urge anyone reading this to check out back in early March, detailing how Quickley was acquired and why, amongst many other interesting topics.

Apparently, the Quickley pick was a lot more to do with Knicks’ Executive World Wide Wes demanding Leon grab the Kentucky sharpshooter more so than anything, but the pick was Leon’s to make.

Sitting at the 23rd pick, the Knicks were presented with a trade from the TImberwolves where they would move back to pick 25 and also acquire pick 33 in the 2nd round.

With 10 seconds left to spare, Leon Rose pulled the trigger on the deal.

Not to get into too much detail with what happened with that 33rd overall pick, the Knicks went on to select Immanuel Quickley who was viewed as a middling 2nd round pick at best.

CBS Sports will hear it from Knicks fans until the end of time for giving the Quickley pick a grade of a D+.

Rose had the wherewithal and the right team beneath him to not only put together a trade package where the Knicks would acquire more draft capital but to also draft someone who is in the top 5 best rookies to play this year on any given night.

Unless he’s used in a package to acquire a massive superstar, I see Quickley being a part of this Knicks organization for many years to come, whereas most players drafted in the bottom portion of the 1st round barely see the court for most of their careers.