Thomas Discusses Rose Acquisition

NEW YORK, February 3, 2006 -- The New York Knicks have swapped 37 year-old power forward Antonio Davis to Toronto for veteran swing man Jalen Rose and Denver’s first-round draft pick, a multi-faceted trade if there ever was one. “If it helps our present, it helps our future,” President, Basketball Operations Isiah Thomas said. “The hardest thing in the NBA is to try score with 4-5 minutes to go in the game. This will take some of the pressure off of our young players from being put into that situation.”

However Rose, indeed a vastly versatile offensive force -- he’s averaged 14.1 ppg, 4.1 apg., and 3.6 rpg. over his career -- is not equally re-knowned for his “D”. “I am sure Coach (Larry) Brown will get the guys play the way he wants them to play on defense,” said Thomas. “This is a move that coach and I have been talking about and we are both in agreement. This is a (small forward) spot where he’s had a lot of people trying to fill that void. This is a player that Larry wanted. And I will continue to go out and try to get the players that he wants.”

This trade was indeed all about balance, between offense and defense, between the present and the future, between the Knicks winning now and the team’s continuing commitment for developing young players. “Next year we’ll have two first-round picks -- and we view the draft as very important in terms of building our team,” said Thomas. “As far as helping us right now, we’ve had a lack of scoring at the small forward position. We’ve tried to fill that position with different players. Coach stressed to me that this is a player he coached before and he can help us right now.”

As far as taking on another contract, “No team has ever had to rebuild from this altitude where we started,” said Thomas. “This actually will help us. Not only did we get a player but also a first round pick for next year. We’ve always said that this is a rebuilding phase we’re in and we’re continuing to acquire assets in that direction. But, in doing that, we also want to help our present.”

“The way we’re building our team, we understand we’re doing it in a very unconventional way,” added Thomas. “We want our young players to learn – but we also want them to have success. In discussing this trade, (Madison Square Garden Chairman) Mr. (James L.) Dolan said to me ‘improve our team, improve our present – but don’t hurt our future.’ And I think we’ve been able to do both.”

“We’ll continue to do anything we can to improve,” said Thomas. “The most important thing is our future. But if there is a player out there who can help us, coach and I will sit down and try to figure out how to get a player such as that.”

“We signed Larry Brown to a five-year deal -- and this is year one. We have a long way to go. We’ll keep pecking away at it until we get it right.”