We're #6! - Athletic Front Office Poll

[Capn'O]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5982216/2024/12/11/nba-front-office-rankings-2024/

The Knicks have experienced a renaissance under Rose’s stewardship since he took over in March 2020. It seems that almost every move the front office made before this season had worked, using a combination of savvy, smarts and connections to put together the best Knicks team in a generation.
go-deeper

Knicks fans are starting to believe again in a team built by 'smart dorks'

The Knicks have not only drafted and scouted well, thanks to assistant general managers Walt Perrin and Frank Zanin, but also they have combed the NBA ranks to find the right veterans for notoriously picky head coach Tom Thibodeau. The cap and strategy team, led by Brock Aller, New York’s VP of basketball and strategic planning, seemed to have its hands on a string of deals the franchise won on the margins.

But the Knicks were the most divisive front office in the NBA among league executives. Rival executives lauded their work but also had questions about the two big swings the team took this past offseason. For some, the Towns and Mikal Bridges deals pushed them off ballots or stopped them from ranking higher.

...



It's still crazy to me after years of being clearly the worst that we're now being considered among the league's elite front offices.

Cheers to that

[Context]

2000% Cap...
who are the 5 better FO's though?

[Capn'O]

2000% Cap...
who are the 5 better FO's though?

Shoot, it didn't paywall me out of the article at first. I've updated with the chart.

[WaltFrazier]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5982216/2024/12/11/nba-front-office-rankings-2024/

The Knicks have experienced a renaissance under Rose’s stewardship since he took over in March 2020. It seems that almost every move the front office made before this season had worked, using a combination of savvy, smarts and connections to put together the best Knicks team in a generation.
go-deeper

Knicks fans are starting to believe again in a team built by 'smart dorks'

The Knicks have not only drafted and scouted well, thanks to assistant general managers Walt Perrin and Frank Zanin, but also they have combed the NBA ranks to find the right veterans for notoriously picky head coach Tom Thibodeau. The cap and strategy team, led by Brock Aller, New York’s VP of basketball and strategic planning, seemed to have its hands on a string of deals the franchise won on the margins.

But the Knicks were the most divisive front office in the NBA among league executives. Rival executives lauded their work but also had questions about the two big swings the team took this past offseason. For some, the Towns and Mikal Bridges deals pushed them off ballots or stopped them from ranking higher.

...



It's still crazy to me after years of being clearly the worst that we're now being considered among the league's elite front offices.

Cheers to that

I'd question Miami Memphis and Minnesota being ahead of Knicks. Heat are in decline now

[SelbyCobra]

2000% Cap...
who are the 5 better FO's though?

All you need to know is Minnesota is one spot ahead of us at #5.

[SelbyCobra]

#5 Wolves :

Total points: 54 points (1 first-place vote; 2 second-place votes; appeared on 15 ballots)
Governor: Glen Taylor
President of basketball operations: Tim Connelly
Head coach: Chris Finch

Connelly has taken some big swings since he took over basketball operations for the Timberwolves in the spring of 2022. He made a huge trade for Rudy Gobert during his first five weeks on the job. In October 2024, he dealt away Karl-Anthony Towns a few months after the franchise’s best season in 20 years.

That kind of chutzpah has won him the admiration of some of his peers. The Timberwolves were one of two teams aside from the Thunder and Celtics that was able to snag a first-place vote.

“I just like that Tim doesn’t give a f—,” one executive said.

There’s more to Connelly than just risk-taking. The Wolves have made a number of smart moves since he took over a talented but unproven roster from former GM Gersson Rosas, while also building an environment for Anthony Edwards to grow into one of the best players in the league. The Gobert trade was instantly controversial, but after a rocky year, the center was the bedrock of a 56-win team that made it to the Western Conference finals, slaying the defending champs along the way — a roster also built heavily by Connelly when he was the Denver Nuggets general manager.

#6 Knicks:

Total points: 41 points (3 third-place votes; 7 fourth-place votes; appeared on 15 ballots)
Governor: James Dolan
President: Leon Rose
Head coach: Tom Thibodeau

The Knicks have experienced a renaissance under Rose’s stewardship since he took over in March 2020. It seems that almost every move the front office made before this season had worked, using a combination of savvy, smarts and connections to put together the best Knicks team in a generation.

The Knicks have not only drafted and scouted well, thanks to assistant general managers Walt Perrin and Frank Zanin, but also they have combed the NBA ranks to find the right veterans for notoriously picky head coach Tom Thibodeau. The cap and strategy team, led by Brock Aller, New York’s VP of basketball and strategic planning, seemed to have its hands on a string of deals the franchise won on the margins.

But the Knicks were the most divisive front office in the NBA among league executives. Rival executives lauded their work but also had questions about the two big swings the team took this past offseason. For some, the Towns and Mikal Bridges deals pushed them off ballots or stopped them from ranking higher.

“If they hadn’t made the Mikal Bridges trade, they would be on here,” one team executive said. “I didn’t think that was the all-in move. They paid the price of what I thought would have been a better player.”

“I would not be in the Karl Towns business for $55 million a year,” an assistant general manager said.

Still, there is a lot of respect for the Knicks. They were third on three ballots and just missed a vote from several executives.

The results that the Rose-led front office has produced is hard to ignore, even if there is room to nitpick. New York signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year deal in 2022 that quickly became a steal and then got him to re-sign at a discount. The Josh Hart trade was astute and helped shape the current character of the team. The trade for OG Anunoby last winter turned them into an East contender, and time will tell if the Towns and Bridges deals turn them into the NBA Finals team they surely hope they can be, but it has given them the best offense in the NBA and made them a top threat in the league.

“I think they’re astute and they do a good job of it,” one VP said.

[spree8]

How the hell is Minny n Miami ahead of us?

Also, I couldn’t disagree more with the “drafted and scouted well” line… we made some big blunders passing on top players and giving picks away/not drafting others as well. This FO is one of the worst with the draft I’ve ever seen…

[dakomish23]

I don't get MIA. Seems like they're living off past victories with that one. MIN let's see how this year plays out. MEM is one of the best drafting teams in the NBA so I get that

[Context]

2000% Cap...
who are the 5 better FO's though?

All you need to know is Minnesota is one spot ahead of us at #5.

Yeah...I could understand if it was in the last 5 years but they used the word "report cards" which
has to mean for this season. And that Kat trade alone kills Minny and Memphis...
And if we're talking this year besides the Ihart signing what else did those team do THIS YEAR to have a high report card?

[G_K_F]

Thunder and Rockets should be 1 an 2.

[thebuzzardman]

Looks like the FO and the ranking of the team compared to the rest of the league about the same.

Ok, FO probably ranks higher

[gavran]

LOL Minny at 5. 5 first rounders for Rudy, only to trade KAT to implode their team.

[thebuzzardman]

LOL Minny at 5. 5 first rounders for Rudy, only to trade KAT to implode their team.

BUT THEIR GM IS SO BOLD!

[Capn'O]

How the hell is Minny n Miami ahead of us?

Also, I couldn’t disagree more with the “drafted and scouted well” line… we made some big blunders passing on top players and giving picks away/not drafting others as well. This FO is one of the worst with the draft I’ve ever seen…

The Obi pick was a mess but getting guys like Deuce/Grimes/IQ fairly late in the draft is excellent. I think at least one of the guys we took this year will be useful. Even Jokubaitus was a good scouting exercise despite the fact that he's a joke and he baited us.

They've done a good job.

[WaltFrazier]

I can see where the Bridges deal would cause some doubts. I thought it was great at the time, and it's early. But it looks like we should have gotten a better player for that price

[Capn'O]

I can see where the Bridges deal would cause some doubts. I thought it was great at the time, and it's early. But it looks like we should have gotten a better player for that price

His December splits are awesome so far.

22.4 PPG
3 Reb
3.8 Ast

On 69% TS. And he's doing more action in motion.

Now, that probably cools but this is the player I've wanted on our squad for years. We overpaid but that's the kind of thing you live with.

[Jalen Bluntson]

I can see where the Bridges deal would cause some doubts. I thought it was great at the time, and it's early. But it looks like we should have gotten a better player for that price

It was absolutely an overpay. I like Bridges and all but, 5 FRPs is a lot. The only thing I look at is they are a cross town rival, fit, contract, we gave them all of our garbage. Bridges is a good player though so, I'll get over it.

I love the team on paper. It's early still and we are not a finished product. We haven't even seen the whole team play together yet but , things are looking up IMO. Gonna take some slick maneuvers but, their is a championship level foundation here. Just need to get it right.

[Jalen Bluntson]

I couldn't care less what these rankings are though. NBA executives ranking each other? Oh boy. I am just glad we have competent people running things for the first time in a long long long time. We are as close as we have ever been on paper since we won our last title. A little bit of luck and some love from the BBall Gods should do the trick!

[spree8]

How the hell is Minny n Miami ahead of us?

Also, I couldn’t disagree more with the “drafted and scouted well” line… we made some big blunders passing on top players and giving picks away/not drafting others as well. This FO is one of the worst with the draft I’ve ever seen…

The Obi pick was a mess but getting guys like Deuce/Grimes/IQ fairly late in the draft is excellent. I think at least one of the guys we took this year will be useful. Even Jokubaitus was a good scouting exercise despite the fact that he's a joke and he baited us.

They've done a good job.

Meh, I’m still salty about passing on Bane for IQ and giving away the pick that could’ve been JDub. Getting rid of picks, punting, and trading down… don’t like their style of approach at draft time at all.

And yea, Obi over Hali/Maxey…

[Jalen Bluntson]

How the hell is Minny n Miami ahead of us?

Also, I couldn’t disagree more with the “drafted and scouted well” line… we made some big blunders passing on top players and giving picks away/not drafting others as well. This FO is one of the worst with the draft I’ve ever seen…

The Obi pick was a mess but getting guys like Deuce/Grimes/IQ fairly late in the draft is excellent. I think at least one of the guys we took this year will be useful. Even Jokubaitus was a good scouting exercise despite the fact that he's a joke and he baited us.

They've done a good job.

Meh, I’m still salty about passing on Bane for IQ and giving away the pick that could’ve been JDub. Getting rid of picks, punting, and trading down… don’t like their style of approach at draft time at all.

The draft has been a mixed bag for me. The approach has bothered me but, the picks have been solid for the most part.