Knicks, Thibodeau trusts Rose on the arrival of important players

Leon Rose and Co. weren’t thrilled with the idea of ​​adding former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook to the mix before he was traded by the Houston Rockets to the Washington Wizards. In what used to be a watered-down free agent market, New York apparently opted to focus on the 2020-21 season instead of next summer.

On the surface, it seemed to make a lot of sense. After all, next year’s free agent class is a lot better than this year’s iteration. Even then, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to sign a record-breaking extension with the Milwaukee Bucks on December 15 changed the dynamics in a big way.

The likes of Kawhi Leonard, Demar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday, Rudy Gobert and Victor Oladipo are all slated to become free agents next summer. Any of these players would have been the cream of the 2020 crop. In no way does this mean that the Knicks can add star power in free agency without acquiring more talent through an exchange.

It looks like these Knicks will be in line to get first pick in a charged 2021 NBA class. It remains to be seen whether the lottery will fall in their favor. It didn’t happen last fall.

In any case, Thibodeau having faith in what the organization can do is not a bad thing. Now it’s up to Leon Rose and Co. to do their thing. Heck, it’s up to the assaulted owner James Dolan to let them do their thing and stay at a distance. Realistically, this is the biggest problem with these Knicks entering the 2020-21 NBA season.