Knicks sign Scott Perry as General Manager

With all the uncertainty surrounding the New York Knicks, this move could really put the team back on track to becoming a true contender once again.

Today former Sacramento Kings Vice President Scott Perry has agreed to a 5 year deal to become the Knicks’ General Manager. The move was made after the Knicks fired Team President Phil Jackson after 3 dreadful seasons with a total record of 80-166 with no playoff appearances. This means that top executive Steve Mills will be expected to become the team president. This means Perry will be reporting to Mills who will still be the head of the front office, but Perry will be given the freedom to operate on his own without having full control. The reason former Cleveland Cavaliers David Griffin pulled his name out of the Knick’s search for a Phil Jackson replacement is because he wanted full control of the franchise as well as bring in an entirely new staff hand picked by him personally. The Knicks would not allow it. Now the Knicks have themselves a GM who is willing to join as the second in command to an Executive team that is looking to create a young, athletic image to the team. Not only is he on board with this plan, Perry also has quite the resume when it comes to being a part of the front office.

Perry has experience working for the Detroit Pistons, Seattle Supersonics-Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, and the Sacramento Kings. His biggest accomplishment in the front office would have to be helping GM Joe Dumars build a championship team for the Pistons. He was most recently involved with the Kings moves in the draft acquiring Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox at the number 5 pick, as well as making a draft day trade for two more spots in the first round to pick up North Carolina’s Justin Jackson and Duke’s Harry Giles. With experience like this, the Knicks have found themselves a true executive who has a history of playing important roles in the front office in the NBA. It may be early, but it is safe to say that the Knicks have found someone who is far more qualified to be an executive than Phil Jackson.

Now with the triangle offense gone, French point guard Frank Ntilikina drafted, Tim Hardaway Jr. back on the team with probably more money than he deserves (the season hasn’t started, it would be unfair to ridicule a signing of an improving player like this), and of course the trade talk for Anthony, the Knicks have a lot of work to do to put the franchise back on track to winning again. Contrary to popular belief, the Knicks are actually closer to becoming this type of team than the fans believe them to be. With the East losing superstars like Jimmy Butler, Paul Millsap, and Paul George, the playoff race for the conference will be more open which gives the Knicks a chance to at least have a spot whether it is the 8th or 7th seed. With the triangle offense no longer holding back the potential of this team, there is opportunity for the Knicks to change the culture of the team with a game plan that correlates with today’s NBA. With Porzingis as the face of the team, the time is now to truly build a championship team around this face. Hiring Steve Perry as the GM is a key step in the process for this goal.