Like most Knicks fans, I have been glued anxiously to Twitter, waiting on a Donovan Mitchell trade. I got duped on Friday with a fake Adrian Wojnarowski post. But that's neither here nor there. This piece is about the fact that we shouldn't be worried now that William Wesley is part of the Knicks front office. The front office of today is not Steve Mills' front office. This front office is now connected to the most connected man in all sports. You notice how before (or after) an analyst on ESPN or FS1 says something vicious about the Knicks, they always say how much they either love, respect, or don't mean Wesley. From Stephen A Smith trying to convince Max Kellerman of all people to trust the Knicks front office to Kendrick Perkins' tweet
and a couple of quotes from distinguished ballplayers, including LeBron James. A GQ reporter, Alex French, once asked LeBron James about his relationship with Worldwide:
That’s kind of personal information, honestly. What’s said, what goes on with, you know, our family, stays with our family. But as far as him being a good person—he’s always been good to me. He’s never asked me for anything. He’s always been trustworthy to me, and I respect him for that.
Scottie Pippen congratulated Wesley on his job with the Knicks,
Congrats to William Wesley, my friend, brother and confidant for nearly three decades, on his job with the @nyknicks. He knows basketball on so many levels and there is no doubt his reach in the game is Worldwide!
The @nyknicks got it right. William Wesley will help in a major way.
Knicks Nation seems to have lost faith in him and the front office. So had I until this morning when on Twitter, I was reminded of who he is and who runs our front office. They are the two most connected men in basketball.
Really? The most connected? When I was a writer from Fansided’s Empire Writes Back (now defunct), I was amazed at the adjectives used to describe Mr. Wesley or Mr. World Wide (two words or one?). So let’s start at the beginning.
First, you have to respect a friendship, a partnership, that started in high school. A partnership that is still going strong forty-something years later. Wesley met Leon while working at Pro Shoes, and Rose needed a pair of sneakers. They’ve been brothers ever since.
Leon Rose became one of the most successful agents ever at Creative Artists Agency. Wesley was his consultant. Rose’s clients included Carmelo Anthony, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Chris Paul. At the time, the numbers totaled twenty. A very successful partnership indeed.
I had never heard of either man until James Dolan brought them to the Knicks. Those of us who are so nervous and skittish about this offseason have to remember. So let’s try to enjoy the remainder of the Summer. We had a great Summer League, although we didn’t win the championship. Portland’s players had no trade worries in the back of their minds, while Quentin Grimes and Miles “Deuce” McBride could have worried they would be on their way to Utah.
In this Donovan Mitchell trade, if there is a Donovan Mitchell trade, we might lose a couple of the young we have hoped would grow with us. Maybe, maybe not. Still, we have a great core, with a great new point guard in Jalen Brunson, and that is a young core to believe in moving forward.