James Dolan Hands-On With Knicks? Leon Rose Answers

Though James Dolan has gained a reputation for being heavily involved in the New York Knicks' affairs, team president Leon Rose admitted that the franchise owner has "faith and trust" in his decisions.

New York Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose attempted to defy a common notion of Manhattan basketball in a New York Times profile of team owner James Dolan.

Many Knicks fans believe that Dolan takes a hands-on approach to hardwood, even as he claimed to The Times' Katherine Rosman that he "(doesn't) really like owning teams." Rose, however, said that the executive chairman/CEO of the Madison Square Garden Company takes on a style that's described by Rosman as "invested but not meddlesome."

"He places a lot of faith and trust in our basketball operations,” Rose said.

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Rose wasn't the only member of MSG royalty interviewed in Rosman's profile: longtime New York Rangers goaltender and current MSG ambassador Henrik Lundqvist referred to Dolan as "someone who was fully committed to being sure that we had the best resources and opportunities to succeed." 

Rose has been in the Knicks' front office since March 2020 after a successful career as a representative at Creative Artists Agency, where his illustrious list of hardwood clients included Carmelo Anthony, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, Allen Iverson, Lebron James, Chris Paul, and more. Under his watch, the Knicks have made two playoff appearances, the latter of which yielded the franchise's first playoff series victory in a decade last spring. That five-game victory over Cleveland was headlined by the involvement of Jalen Brunson, who had a career-best season in the first campaign of a four-year, $104 million contract.

Though Dolan has shifted his focus to live entertainment, as he's set to oversee the opening of the rounded venue known as the Sphere on the Las Vegas Strip next week, there's no doubt that his athletic properties have reason to be excited: the Knicks are mostly rolling it back with Brunson and two-time All-Star Julius Randle leading the way while the Rangers have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past two seasons and were two games appearing in the Final round in 2022.