Leon Rose knows what it’s like to root for a losing team in New York.
Rose was officially hired to be the Knicks president Monday after the team fired Steve Mills earlier this season. Rose then asked Knicks fans to be patient with him as he tries to get the team headed in the right direction. While many are surely skeptical that Rose can accomplish that — more experienced men have failed — perhaps there is something to be said for the fact that the former player agent understands the pain that comes with prolonged struggles in New York.
After all, Rose is also a Jets fan.
For all you long, suffering Knicks fans (is there any other kind) Leon Rose feels your pain. Because of Joe Namath, Rose is a lifelong Jets fan.
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) February 6, 2020
Rose grew up watching Joe Namath in the 1960s and 1970s and instantly fell in love with the Jets. Namath led the team to its only Super Bowl win in 1968, but there’s been little to cheer about in the decades since. Recent history has been especially cruel, as Gang Green has not made the postseason since 2010 and has enjoyed just one winning season since.
The Knicks can certainly relate. One of the premier franchises in the NBA on paper, the team has not won a championship since 1973. The Knicks appeared in two Finals in the 90s, but lost both. They have neither been to the playoffs nor recorded a winning season since 2013.
It’s no secret that both franchises are lacking some talent. Like the Jets, the Knicks have made bad choices when it comes to the draft, personnel hiring and free agent signings. That, combined with poor player development and a culture of dysfunction, isn’t exactly a recipe for success.
Now the Jets will hope Joe Douglas can successfully guide them through his first offseason as general manager. Rose, meanwhile, will have to let the NBA’s regular season play out — the Knicks are 19-42 and in 13th place in the Easter Conference — before he can start to really make some changes.
Until then, he’ll be rooting for Douglas to upgrade the Jets, just like every other fan of Gang Green.