New York Knicks president Leon Rose has played an instrumental role in legitimizing the organization in recent years. Since the former agent took over in 2020, the Knicks have made the playoffs in three of four seasons, after not qualifying in the previous seven.
However, Rose has had a tradition of not speaking to the media, a trend that will continue this offseason, via The Athletic's Fred Katz.
“Knicks president Leon Rose has declined a request to hold an end-of-season media availability,” tweeted Katz. “No high-ranking Knicks executive has spoken on the record to independent media since September 2021. Rose is yet to do a solo press conference since taking over Knicks in April 2020.”
While some fans didn't mind, others were upset about the executive's privacy. @hbunsis let his feelings be known in the replies, even bringing out advanced vocabulary words.
“Leon has a moral obligation to talk to the media, as this intransigence is an insult to fans – the media is how we find out about our team,” the fan said. “The Knicks are a public treasure, and the media and Mr Katz deserve our respect. Mr. Katz is on numerous pods and his voice is very welcome.”
The dictionary defines “intransigent” as “unwilling or refusing to change one's views, or to agree about something,” via Oxford Languages. While it may be true that Rose seems unwilling to change his tight-lipped ways, should it matter if the team is doing well?
Rose probably wouldn't say many juicy quotes in a Knicks presser anyway
Rose may simply be a man of few words, as @hallsrh tweeted.
“Bizarre. Is he painfully shy or something?” they asked.
However, plenty of Knicks fan accounts fired back, playing the voice of reason, such as @EverythinKnicks.
“Why do Knicks fans care so much about Leon Rose speaking to the media?” they said. “The man has pulled off plenty of great moves as of late – you still don't trust him? If he keeps making these smart moves then I don't care whether he speaks or not.”
The truth is that while it's nice for team executives to show their face, the primary concern should be their job performance. Rose, Senior Basketball Advisor William Wesley, and the entire front office's track record these last few years speaks for itself. This is the first regime in a decade that's been able to consistently get New York to the playoffs, and that success doesn't look like it'll stop anytime soon.
The Knicks are armed with 11 first-round picks over the next six drafts, along with one of the better rosters in the Eastern Conference. New York landed its star Jalen Brunson in one of the biggest free agency steals in NBA history, and the team is in prime position to acquire another star shortly.
If Rose did speak to the media, he probably would've mentioned the fact that while the Knicks' season may have been derailed by injuries, the organization feels good about where it's at. It's highly unlikely that he would've divulged any breaking or controversial news to the New York media, as nobody wants to deal with that headache.
For once, Knicks fans finally have an organization they can be proud of. Although they're not used to it, they should finally let themselves relax and give the professionals the benefit of the doubt.
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