It’s easy to forget now with his Knicks as champions, but Leon Rose’s tenure in New York began like those of his predecessors — submerged in the dysfunction of a dysfunctional environment.
Less than a week after Rose unofficially agreed to become team president, Steve Stoute, a self-proclaimed media mogul who was serving as the Knicks branding consultant, inexplicably went on ESPN and declared the team’s acting coach, Mike Miller, would be fired after the season.
Keep in mind that Miller still had half of a season remaining to coach. Rose, according to a league source at the time, wasn’t happy with the interview.
“While Steve Stoute is a valued contributor to the Knicks’ marketing and branding efforts, he does not speak on behalf of the New York Knicks personnel and basketball operations,” a team statement read. “Any decisions regarding the operations of the team will be made by the new President of the New York Knicks.”
