Leon Rose, the Knicks still deserve trust after Karl-Anthony Towns' stunning goal

Well, give Leon Rose one thing: once again he shows that he's not content to sit still and allow good feelings and happy vibes to try and move his team forward. We've seen many times that he doesn't believe in magical thinking, but simply hopes for the best.

Sometimes you have to shake things up and shake up your comfort zone to take the next step.

He did that last December, sending RJ Barrett and Isaiah Quickley to Toronto and importing OG Anunoby. There was an immediate reaction among many believers, a wistful sadness. They had watched Barrett and Quickley grow up. The Knicks had won with them. Was this trade really necessary?

As we found out, it was.

As we found out last year when Anunoby was healthy, the Knicks were a far deadlier and more efficient team with him than they were with Barrett and Quickley. Anunoby, who went down during the Pacers series, denied what certainly seemed likely: This new lineup probably would have taken a few hits at the Celtics in the conference finals.

Knicks fans have spent most weeks and months counting down the days until training camp opens next week in Charleston, S.C. It's been a while since the return of professional basketball was greeted with this level of anticipation. The Knicks added Mikal Bridges and subtracted Isaiah Hartenstein. Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson's quirk from their college days was an undeniably cute story.

Can sweet stories win an NBA title?

To be honest, it's hard to identify one. And so it will immediately come as a shock to learn that DiVincenzo and Julius Randle are now headed to Minnesota in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. It will take a few days for it to absorb and get used to it.

KAT has long been viewed as a potential final piece of the puzzle for the Knicks, as he has a close relationship with Leon Rose and was a dynamite player in his prime. He was most recently passed by Anthony Edwards in Minneapolis and was seen on both ends of the floor during the playoffs.

He's an All-Star caliber player with flaws, just like Randle had flaws. Rose decided to pull the trigger, knowing it would surely cause some sadness among the Villanova crew and Randle, who, like KAT, is a Kentucky man with an inside-out game and a history of collecting reviews and criticisms would. Randle was an import from the previous Knicks administration, but he immediately embraced Tom Thibodeau's system and had his best years here. Randle is as responsible as anyone for ending the endless wave of misery that has lasted nearly a quarter century.

But could he return from shoulder surgery and take the Knicks to the next level, meaning he can compete with the Celtics?

Well, Rose made the deal, so that tells you what he thinks. And Rose has earned the benefit of the doubt with his work here since Day 1. We've all agreed that the Knicks won't be a true contender until they make another move. This is the step.

Do you trust Leon?

If yes, then believe in the deal. They believe Thibodeau wouldn't have signed this if he didn't believe he could coach him and who would be KAT's first coach in the league. You also have to assume that the Villanova people, starting with Brunson, were alerted before the rest of New York was caught off guard.

Does this mean the Knicks are now a real threat to the Celtics?

We'll find out soon enough. But right now, it looks like the Knicks' potential ceiling is higher than it was Friday morning. KAT has to stay healthy. He must embrace Thibodeau's ways. But his skillset fits well with the players he joins.

No trade is easy, especially when it involves popular players that fans have fallen in love with. But if you trust the man to follow through on these steps—and there's little reason why you shouldn't—it will grow on you. So far it has been wise to trust Leon. Why stop now?