Well, it took less than one day. The New York Knicks' big rebranding initiative is already in need of a rebrand.
After the recently-hired and self-described “branding” and “marketing guru” Steve Stoute implied on ESPN's First Take on Tuesday that the team would be looking to hire a new head coach, the organization and Stoute released a joint statement hours later downplaying his words and role in basketball operations.
Stoute admitted to making a mistake in his first public appearance representing the Knicks.
“In my excitement to defend the Knicks on live TV today, I inadvertently insinuated about Knicks personnel,” Stoute said in a joint statement release by the team's PR.
Statements from the New York Knicks and Steve Stoute pic.twitter.com/jDN07qHllO
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 11, 2020
Mike Miller took over as Knicks interim head coach after David Fizdale was let go in December. He has done a respectable job with a nonsensical roster, guiding the ‘Bockers to a 14-19 record.
Longtime CAA agent Leon Rose will reportedly take over as Knicks team president in the near future as the organization goes through yet another front office overhaul.
It wasn't the only time Steve Stoute raised eyebrows in his First Take appearance. The music and marketing executive also compared his role to that of Drake's with the Toronto Raptors, and he may have given Drake a little too much credit for the Raptors' basketball success in the process.