Secret of the Knicks' success? Uncharacteristically smart moves

For about 20 years, if a team in the NBA wanted to get rid of a bad contract or a past-his-prime player, they called the New York Knicks. And, more likely than not, the Knicks gladly accepted their offer, even if it meant giving up top draft picks or good young players. Those days, however, seem to be gone.

Over the last couple of seasons, the Knicks have actually looked like a competent and well-run organization. This, despite the fact that they haven’t had a GM in place for nearly a year. The guy running things is team president Leon Rose, and they might as well call him Midas because pretty much every move he’s made lately has been gold. This has been especially evident in the playoffs.

In the offseason, Rose made the no-brainer decision to sign Josh Hart to a new deal. He also brought in Donte DiVincenzo to complete the Villanova trifecta. With a 22-point, 13-rebound performance in Game 1 against the Sixers, Hart was the hero. Donte DiVincenzo provided the heroics in the next game with a clinching three-pointer in the final seconds.

Not content with those additions, Rose decided to do something drastic during the season. In December, the team traded good, young players RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors. But unlike the Knicks of old, they didn’t get washed-up guys in return, but players who could — and did — immediately help the team win.

While OG Anunoby missed a lot of time with an elbow injury during the regular season, he — and fellow former Raptor Precious Achiuwa — have been vital to the Knicks’ success in the playoffs thus far. Their stifling defense of Joel Embiid in Game 4 was a huge factor in the win.

Those moves alone perhaps should have earned Rose NBA Executive of the Year, but he wasn’t done yet. In February, he traded another burgeoning guard — Quentin Grimes — along with bench players to the Detroit Pistons for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. While Burks’ contributions have been minimal, Bogdanovic proceeded to be a spark off the bench, and his 13 points and 7 rebounds in Game 1 proved to be vital.

Time will tell what these players will mean for the current and future success of the Knicks, but one thing is clear. Without thoughtful actions taken by someone who seems to know the game (as opposed to knee-jerk reactions by a cloddish owner), the Knicks wouldn’t be in the position they’re in right now.