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Remember LeBron James' "Decision" back in 2010? That was Rose, James' agent at the time, and Worldwide Wes. Carmelo Anthony's trade from the Denver Nuggets to the Knicks in 2011? Leon and Wes. Dolan had a good relationship with both men during Anthony's seven seasons in New York and admired the loyalty they seemed to have with clients. Dolan is a lot of things. Irascible. Unpredictable. Meddlesome. But he's also loyal. So when he went to replace Jackson in 2019, he kept coming back to the idea of Rose and Wesley -- two men he knew could handle the pressure cooker of New York and identify the type of players who could thrive in that environment, too. But maybe even more importantly, he trusted them to do it and largely allowed them to operate without interference. Those who know Dolan best say he'd simply learned from his past that ownership involvement isn't always productive. Others suggest his focus was split between the Knicks and building the Sphere in Las Vegas.
“A lot of these guys have been through a championship in college with the Villanova guys,” Starks said. “They understand what it takes. We’ve got a great leader in Jalen [Brunson] and Karl-Anthony Towns. I’m excited about it. “These are such even-keeled individuals. All those guys. I think Leon [Rose] and [William Wesley] did a great job putting together like-minded individuals. And that’s what it takes. Guys that are not gonna get too high, get too low, and they cheer for one another and they like one another. That’s what it takes, to have that togetherness, because things can get tough. You got to know who’s in the same boat as you. You don’t want to see guys jumping ship. And these guys don’t jump ship. If the boat’s gonna go down, they’re gonna go down together.”
"And the way it went down and the way they handled business was crazy, bro," Rivers revealed. "They brought me to a dark room, it was Leon [Rose], Worldwide Wes [Knicks executive vice president and senior basketball advisor William Wesley], and Thibs. They're all three sitting there in the dark, with like a little light, it's like an interrogation-type thing. 'Hey man, we're gonna move you, we just got Derrick here. Until we find the right spot with you, you don't have to travel with the team anymore.'"
The New York Knicks are striking out with all their current NBA head coach targets right now, so they may have to turn to a former one. Ex-Knicks head coach Mike Woodson is considered to be a “wild card” for the job, Ian Begley of SportsNet New York reported Wednesday during an appearance on the “Knicks Film School” podcast. Begley says that the Knicks will likely “at least have a conversation” with Woodson and notes that Woodson has good relationships with Knicks owner James Dolan, president Leon Rose, and executive William Wesley.
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Tim MacMahon: But the other thing is, the Knicks have been a dysfunctional franchise forever. And the first opponent that a Knicks head coach has to defeat is the Knicks. That's just the simple fact of the matter. That—and by the way, I didn't—well, I didn't make that line up. I'm borrowing it from people who know. But it is, and there are cliques in the Knicks management, in the front office. Let's just—listen, Thibs and Worldwide Wes are both Leon Rose guys, but they are not each other's guys, and that's been a thing for a while now. That's just the way it is. There have been people in that front office who have been wanting to run Thibs out of there for a couple of years now, at least. And they finally did.
Magic Johnson: Mikal Bridges traded to the Knicks. Wow, hats off to Leon Rose and William Wesley aka World Wide Wes! This trade changes the landscape in the Eastern Conference. Now, the Knicks will challenge the Celtics for first place in the East while putting pressure on the Sixers and Bucks
One thing has not changed, however: The Knicks now, as ever, are in a perpetual hunt for another glitzy star—and Dolan, as ever, expects one. “That is factual,” said a source with ties to the Garden. The Rose-Wesley team “promised him stars,” the source said. “He didn’t hire them for their (experience) running a basketball team.” Had the Knicks faltered on the court the past two years, the person added, “You’d have seen the old Knicks that you’ve seen the last 24 years—some heads would have rolled.”
Ian Begley: Shake Milton has known Knicks Executive VP William Wesley for a long time. “He’s there anytime I need him. Whether it’s to talk, do whatever. He’s always there.” Milton said Wesley factored in to his decision to sign with Knicks after agreeing to buyout with Detroit: pic.twitter.com/yG8dypGYwy
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The meeting, which was first reported by the New York Post, is a potentially significant development. Before the sit-down, Paul had been reluctant to do business with the Knicks, who are obviously led by Rose and executive vice president William Wesley. Rose was a top agent at CAA before he took over the Knicks and Wesley was a consultant for the agency before he joined Rose in New York. Before meeting with Rose on Friday, Paul had met with Wesley to discuss issues between them and the Knicks. Now that the Klutch-Knicks Cold War has come to a close, New York can again be viewed as a potential destination for Klutch clients.
On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania noted that the Knicks will always have interest in Karl-Anthony Towns. That’s true today, just as it was true on the day Knicks team president Leon Rose took over. Rose is Towns’ former agent. He and Knicks executive vice president William Wesley are close with Towns and his family. Knicks senior vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas ran the Timberwolves during Towns’ tenure.
Moving Dejounte Murray would be a seismic shift for Atlanta. And it would surely require several first-round picks and young, ascending players. The Knicks can put that kind of package together. But for New York, there is an additional hurdle in a potential Murray trade. Murray is represented by Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group. The New York Daily News reported in 2022 that Klutch opposed a trade of client Zach LaVine to the Knicks. That dynamic is still present today. I’m told that Paul remains reluctant to do business with the Knicks, who are led by team president Leon Rose and executive vice president William Wesley. Rose and Wesley were both top agents at CAA before they took over the Knicks.
Whatever the reasons are, there is a potential path forward for both the Knicks and Klutch. I'm told that Klutch would consider changing its current stance if there is an in-person meeting between Paul and the Knicks, presumably including Rose and Wesley. Until and unless the two sides meet in person, the Klutch-Knicks Cold War will remain in place.