Knicks front office lays out plan for future, Leon Rose focused on ‘continuity and stability’

NEW YORK — The Knicks front office spoke for the first time Friday and could boast of a coherent, functioning plan. That’s an upgrade from previous regimes, but also only possible because of last season’s results.

Selling is easier with proof.

Nobody is confusing New York for title contenders — and we wonder how they can possibly improve from the fourth-seed position given the upgrades around the Eastern Conference — but it makes sense, as laid out by team president Leon Rose, why the Knicks are pushing a plan of slow and steady.

“As we went into the summer, in order to build on last year, continuity and stability were two important factors in what we did,” Rose said.

Rose was guarded as an agent and remains that way as an executive, which didn’t lend itself to a particularly revealing 45-minute media session alongside GM Scott Perry and coach Tom Thibodeau. But there was enough to glean clarity on the bones of the strategy.

First, on acquiring superstars, there’s no sense of urgency. Patience has been a principal of Rose’s short tenure. Thibodeau noted that the Knicks developed one All-Star last season in Julius Randle, and his hope is to create another during the upcoming campaign (RJ Barrett is the best candidate).

There’s also the reality of a league-wide shift in free agency, with star players more frequently signing extensions and diminishing the market. In the previous three offseasons, the Knicks inked almost exclusively one-year deals with the hopes of turning the resultant cap space into star free agents.

But this summer they spent over $40 million in cap space on multi-year contracts, re-signing Derrick Rose, Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks while adding Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier.

“We got a group that was successful last year that we wanted to keep together,” Perry said. “So that you’re taking the next step in the building process. … I don’t think you can sit here and say you don’t know who is going to become free or what their interests are going to be. So a lot of times that becomes pie-in-the-sky, if you will.”

Continuity feels good after last season, and the Knicks will return their coaching staff plus 10 players. But that’s not to suggest there aren’t potential pitfalls to the plan. The Knicks are relying on players who overachieved by their career standards last season, many of whom were underwhelming in a playoff series dud against the Hawks. There are unknowns that come with a roster with seven players who are 23 years old or younger. There’s also a dependence on two points guards — Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker — with a history of knee problems.

Leon Rose, Perry and Thibodeau addressed these issues and more Friday at the team practice facility. We’ve listed five takeaways from the session:

No minutes limits for point guards

Last season with the Celtics, Kemba Walker, now 31, didn’t play in back-to-backs to preserve his arthritic knee. The strategy arguably failed because when the Celtics needed him most — in the playoffs — the pain flared up and he missed games.

Thibodeau is not a load management enthusiast and indicated that Walker will dictate his rest, rather than following a set plan.

“This guy has managed his career a long time. So what’s the best for him? And then you got to look at what’s the end game? Was it better for him (to sit in back-to-backs) in the end or was it not?” Thibodeau said. “So I think you have to take the information in, you have to talk to him, you have to see how it feels. You have to talk to the medical people and go from there. I don’t want him to limit himself in terms of what he can do. We have to trust the player.”

Thibodeau utilized a similar strategy with Derrick Rose, 32, who has undergone four knee surgeries.

“If he needs time off, he’ll get it. If he can play, I want him to play,” Thibodeau said. “I think that’s important. I think you prepare yourself to play a season.”

Mitchell Robinson contract and injury update

Robinson hasn’t played since March and should’ve long ago recovered from his fractured foot. However, the center was spotted in early August social media posts wearing a walking boot, and Leon Rose would only declare his full return to training camp “a work in progress.”

“There’s a plan in place,” Thibodeau added. “And we’re not going to rush it, we’re going to take it step by step.”

Robinson is eligible for an extension, but the Knicks just signed another center, Nerlens Noel, to a three-year, $32 million deal (only the first two years are guaranteed). The Knicks are wisely taking a wait-and-see approach with Robinson.

“We love Mitchell Robinson and we look forward to seeing him play,” Rose said.

And what about Robinson reclaiming his starting spot?

“We’ll see where he is conditioning-wise,” Thibodeau said. “But we’re not going to rush that along. When he’s ready, we’ll go from there. We feel very good about Nerlens and Taj (Gibson). And when Mitch is ready to go, he’ll get in there.”

Are the Knicks positioned to trade for a superstar?

Leon Rose made multiple references to accumulating draft assets and maintaining flexibility, which sounded like trade fodder. But again, there’s no urgency with Ben Simmons as the top player on the market.

That probably changes if Damian Lillard demands a trade.

“We think we’re in a good position,” Thibodeau said broadly about the prospects of acquiring a star player.

Explanation for punting a first-round pick

Probably the biggest head-scratcher of Leon Rose’s summer was trading a first-round pick (19th overall) for a heavily protected first rounder in 2022. On the surface, it made sense. The Knicks had four other picks and didn’t need another rookie on the roster.

But it also felt like the Knicks should’ve retrieved more in a deal for their top pick, especially since the 2021 class was considered exceptional and there would probably be another team more desperate to move up.

“It is all part of maintaining flexibility,” Rose explained. “We had three guys that we drafted this year, so it’s about keeping ourselves flexible, and as you know we traded back and picked up extra picks, which was all part of accumulating assets to be in a better position.”

Added Scott Perry: “And we got the guys we wanted to get.”

The Knicks drafted Quentin Grimes, Miles McBride, Rokas Jokubaitis and Jericho Sims. Jokubaitis will play next season in Europe.

Bullish on the youngsters

The Knicks have a bevy of youngsters, and Thibodeau — who carries a reputation of partiality to veterans — seems genuinely excited about the crop. He referenced the growth of several players, including the rookies and second-year prospects Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley.

One player unmentioned throughout the session? Kevin Knox. After getting cut from the rotation last season, Knox, the ninth overall pick in 2018, withdrew from Summer League because of COVID-19 protocols.