Leon Rose Deserves to be Included in the Executive of the Year Conversation

Brunson (who at age 26 is just now entering the prime of his career) will make less than the following players next season: Jordan Poole, Kyle Lowry, Gordon Hayward, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons.

Getting ready for Game 3 in the Knicks-Cavs series (which will hopefully include New York getting Quentin Grimes more involved offensively), I stumbled upon a few posts predicting the end-of-season award winners. The most heated debates, as always, revolve around who will win the MVP. Then you have the DPOY, Sixth Man of the Year, ROY, etc., which generate plenty of interest. 

Conversely, the Executive of the Year race is largely ignored by the general public. Yet, for those sites that do have their experts pick who they believe to be deserving of the award, I was surprised to see Leon Rose was rarely mentioned. For instance, CBS Sports listed four potential winners, and Rose was not among them. In a Bleacher Report roundtable, Rose received just one vote.

Granted, there are several qualified candidates.

Monte McNair has done a masterful job in Sacramento. The Kings are back in the postseason for the first time in 17 years, thanks in large part to a bevy of bold moves by McNair. First, he traded for Domantas Sabonis at the 2022 deadline. And this past offseason, he snagged Kevin Huerter from the Hawks, signed Malik Monk in free agency, and drafted Keegan Murray. In addition, McNair brought in Mike Brown, who was just named the unanimous Coach of the Year. 

Cleveland's Koby Altman will get plenty of love from voters for pulling off the year's biggest blockbuster and landing Donovan Mitchell. Danny Ainge (and his top lieutenant, Justin Zanik) were on the other side of the Mitchell deal, which netted them plenty of draft capital and All-Star Lauri Markkanen. More impressively, they pulled off arguably the most lopsided trade in NBA history, sending Rudy Gobert to Minnesota in exchange for Walker Kessler, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and FOUR first-round draft picks (and a swap). 

Nonetheless, Rose and his staff (executive VP World Wide Wes, GM Scott Perry, and assistant GM Walt Perrin) deserve plenty of credit for constructing a Knicks roster that greatly exceeded expectations. 

A year ago, in a rare media appearance, Rose spoke to MSG Network's Mike Breen and stated that he was confident in the franchise's trajectory and willing to remain patient. 

"We have to stick to the plan," Rose said. "We have to build one block at a time, be patient. We feel like we're set up, you know, really well as far as, like, we've got 13 draft picks over the next three drafts, four first-round picks. With regard to opportunities that may come along, we're very flexible. We want to show patience; we want to show prudence in making those decisions and continuing to develop what we have."

Still, New York won just 37 games in 2021-22, which is why so many pundits and fans assumed they would sell low on Julius Randle and go all-in for Mitchell, doing whatever it took to swing a deal for the stud shooting guard. However, Rose decided to sit tight, refusing to acquiesce to Ainge's demands. New York was pilloried by many for that decision, with several experts scoffing at the Knicks' purported refusal to give up unproven players such as Quentin Grimes or Immanuel Quickley. 

Eight months later, Quickley is coming off the best season of his career and is considered one of the favorites to take home the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award after averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 made three-pointers. He finished inside the top 20 in the NBA in individual plus-minus.

Grimes used the 2022-23 campaign to establish himself as a legitimate starting NBA two-guard with an enticing upside. He was consistent on both ends of the floor all year but played at an exceptionally high level late in the season. Over the final nine games of the regular season, Grimes averaged 21.9 points and 3.8 assists (vs. 0.8 turnovers) while shooting over 54% from the floor and 48% from downtown. In a league that places exceptionally high value on 3-and-D wings, Grimes is a keeper.