James Dolan: Leon Rose 'Still the Best Guy' to Be Knicks President

New York Knicks governor James Dolan expressed confidence in the job team president Leon Rose has done since being hired in March 2020.

When asked during an appearance on WFAN's Carton and Roberts show Friday if he was happy with the job Rose has done, he replied, "Yes, absolutely," per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

Dolan added:

"Why did I bring Leon in? I've been doing this for like 20-something years and in my experience with the NBA, there's things you can do as an owner. You can create an environment where everybody, you give them enough money to do their job, give them more money than they need to do their job. You can stay out of the way, which is usually the best course of action.

"But you do end up picking the one guy who's going to make all the strategy, who's going to execute for you. I picked Leon because I believe after you look at the NBA and the game that we play, that the team with the best talent wins. You want a guy who can get you the best talent. I believe that Leon Rose is still the best guy."

The Knicks currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 27-23 record following wins over the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

While they aren't toward the top of the standings as they'd hoped following the signing of Jalen Brunson, Dolan still expects the team to make the postseason. When asked if a first-round exit would meet expectations, Dolan failed to give a concrete response.

"It's really about did they get better?" he said, per SNY's Ian Begley. "Did we build enough this season that in the offseason we can make a move or two and get even better, get even closer?"

It's reasonable to believe Dolan wants to see Rose acquire more star talent because the Knicks appear far from being able to compete with the East's top teams as currently constructed despite somewhat of a turnaround following a 10-13 start to the 2022-23 campaign.

However, Dolan said during his interview that there's no timetable for Dolan to make a big move, even with the NBA's Feb. 9 trade deadline looming:

"No, I would say less of a timetable [now]. Though, eventually, there's a timetable. But right now, what we're looking for is progress. We want to build into a championship team. We fully expect to make the playoffs this year. That will definitely be a benchmark. Look, this is sports. If Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle get hurt, it's probably going to be tough. Mitchell [Robinson] is going to be out for a little while."

The Knicks haven't made a deep playoff run since reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000, and they've missed the postseason altogether in eight of the last nine seasons.

Adding another star player could help the Knicks get over the hump, though they likely aren't keen on giving up their first-round picks because they could ultimately be used to select players that help them accomplish long-term success.