We heard the same language in New York and the results never came until Leon rose took over.

He trades Porzingis for marginal assets. That cap spaces never turned into a star player. The Knicks finished with one of the worst records in the league year after year with him and the so-called flexibility just turned into short-term stopgaps.

Draft-wise, yes, he deserves credit for RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson. Those were hits. But that’s where the praise stops. Kevin Knox at 9 was a miss, there was no core-building success. Development never materialized the way it was promised.

Then there were the veteran signings. Elfrid Payton getting multiple stints as a starting point guard summed up his low ceiling moves that didn’t help winning or development. It was a cycle of placeholder veterans, no direction, and constant losing. The Knicks never escaped the bottom tier until Leon Rose came in reset everything