CLEVELAND – In some ways, it’s fitting that Leon Rose and the Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals after knocking out Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers.
Rose’s decision to pass on trading for Mitchell was one of the biggest pivot points of this Knicks era.
Remember: New York had the draft picks and the personnel to obtain Mitchell from Utah. But Rose ultimately decided that he didn’t want to meet Danny Ainge’s asking price.
At the time, it was a controversial decision.
In hindsight, it’s one of several pivotal choices by Rose that helped the Knicks ascend to the NBA Finals.
Instead of trading a package centered around RJ Barrett for Mitchell, Rose and his group moved Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second round pick to Toronto for OG Anunoby.
Anunoby has been one of the best players in the postseason. He had 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in the Knicks’ closeout win over Cleveland on Monday.
Instead of using multiple first-round picks to acquire Mitchell, Rose sent most of his draft capital to Brooklyn in a trade for Mikal Bridges.
Rose took a ton of criticism for the trade, particularly when the Knicks had a chance to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo the following summer.
So, of course, Bridges made play after play on the defensive end throughout the postseason. He also found ways to attack within the flow of the Knick offense. He and Anunoby have peaked at the best possible time.
If they’d traded for Mitchell, there’s virtually no way they would have signed Donte DiVincenzo the next summer. And without DiVincenzo, the Knicks would’ve needed to use more draft capital to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota.
This was another trade that was criticized and questioned, but Towns on Monday hit 8-of-11 shots and grabbed 14 rebounds.
The Cavs cut the Knick lead to 16 at one point in the third quarter. Towns then went to work, blocking a shot on one end and then knocking down a three-pointer on the other end. Anunoby found Bridges for a wide-open three on the Knicks’ next possession.
That sequence took the life out of any Cleveland comeback.
Shortly after the trophy presentation, Rose spent a quiet moment with his family. Like the rest of the Knicks, Rose seemed to see Monday’s win as a major accomplishment — but not one worth a raucous celebration.
Maybe that celebration will come in a couple weeks, but the fact that the Knicks are where they are today — preparing for a trip to the NBA Finals — is a testament to Rose’s determination and decision-making.
A few weeks ago, the Knicks executive did not receive a vote from his peers for the Executive of the Year award. It’s a regular-season award, and the Knicks had an uneven regular season.
But if you took another vote today, the results would look much different. Rose would probably be at or near the top, which is where his Knicks sit after this remarkable playoff run.
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