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The New Guys in the Knicks Front Office — What You Need to Know
A flurry of new names were hired by GM Scott Perry this past week. Who are they?
Scott Perry, the latest brave soul to enter the driver’s seat of the New York Knicks front office, has brought in a few trusted colleagues to join him on his turbulent journey through Madison Square Garden’s hallowed halls.
Dubbed as Phil Jackson’s replacement–even though Steve Mills took that job in title–Perry has taken the liberty of filling the remaining vacant spots in New York’s management. The names on the Knickerbockers’ 15 player roster may be watched closer than the job titles that are a mix of sports and business jargon, but they may be just as important. Since they’re building a team from the ground up, these career guys may be more important to the Knicks’ culture than the NBA journeymen who won’t see more than 82 games in orange and blue.
There was a point to be made when a quote by Perry headed the Knicks Public Relations news release: these were his guys, and for better or for worse, in sickness or in health, he would be rolling with them until further notice. Of course, PR talked his hires up in the later parts of the release. Whether there was a bit of embellishment in regard to their actual contributions is up for debate, but what these gentlemen will be responsible for justifies a deeper look. To preface, it’s important to note that duties may vary from organization to organization and the sources used are simply proxies to predict the roles each new hire will fill.
Gerald Madkins — Assistant GM
Madkins, the former Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Clippers, will most likely be up to the same tasks he was in while in Los Angeles, except without GM Doc Rivers hoarsely barking orders at him.
While the title of assistant GM sounds like a millennial with an iPad following around a baby boomer during an unpaid internship, the position actually falls under the big boss hierarchy. The front end of today’s chain-of-command in the NBA front office is only a smidgen different than it was before. So, if you’re a little confused with the new pecking order, here’s a short rundown: The owner is on top, second-in-command is the President of Basketball Operations, third is the General Manager, and, presumably, the fourth rung is occupied by the Assistant General Manager. In short, there’s just one more spot squeezed in above GM, and Madkins has been inserted below.
Finding a complete job description for an assistant GM is a bit of a futile task since they could be doing just about anything and everything. In the broadest of terms, Madkins’ job could just be supporting Perry. Therefore, the daily tasks and management systems that Perry is overseeing would be double checked by Madkins. The assistant GM is there to make sure Perry has all his ducks in a row before he pulls the trigger. Madkins will probably be more detail-oriented than his boss, who will be more concerned with the vision and general direction the Knicks are headed in.
Regardless of who Perry answers to, he’s here to make the big decisions. In essence, he’s there to make Mills and Dolan look good, while Madkins is there to make sure he gets it right.
Craig Robinson — Vice President, Player Development, G League Operations
At this point, the chain of command begins to blur. It’s unclear whether the Vice President of Player Development or the Director of Player Personnel is next in line and the job descriptions begin to blur as well. It’s important not to become too stuck on who’s whose boss, but the ambiguity in job titles leave a couple question marks that are hopefully answered decisively.
Anyway, it looks like Robinson will be spending a sizable amount of time in Westchester with the New York Knicks G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. As the Vice President of Player Development and G League Operations, he’ll be heavily involved with the growth of the players in Westchester. However, as a front office manager, he may be the one who the development coaches (David Bliss and other assistants) report to about skill progression.
One note about Robinson is that he’s the brother of First Lady Michelle Obama. Robinson also played ball with Mills at Princeton.
Harold Ellis — Director of Player Personnel
Scott Perry worked alongside Ellis in Detroit and Orlando for a handful of years in the front office of those franchises. This may seem like a decision based in nepotism when considering that neither had huge success in either arena, but it isn’t uncommon for general managers and team presidents to hire from a pool of people with whom they’ve worked closely. What makes this hiring a bit more peculiar is that Clarence Gaines, Jr.–the man credited with backing Kristaps Porzingis’ draft selection–was demoted to a scout position in favor of Ellis.
Understandably, Perry has reiterated time and time again that he would assess the front office positions and make changes according to his evaluations.
“We are adding a host of highly-regarded and respected basketball people to work with the Knicks to fortify the franchise for years to come.” (via Knicks PR)
What can be taken away from the simultaneous hiring, demotion, and release of this statement is that Perry plans to alter the duties and tasks for this position. Since Ellis worked first as a scout in Detroit and then the director of pro scouting in Orlando, it’s easy to assume he had to have developed personal relationships with current players to stay afloat so long in those failing franchises. Although NBA players recruiting each other is on the rise, a strong front office pitch might be just what the doctor ordered for the Knicks to add pieces outside of the draft. A director of player personnel with experience in scouting in the modern NBA, in addition to reliable insight about current NBA players outside of the Knicks, might be the way to go.
No one dares suggest that Gaines was bad at his job, or that the man was anything less than an exemplary scout for the Knicks, but it must be reconciled that Gaines didn’t fit Perry’s vision in that position. Despite this, he’s still a valuable asset, and the Knicks held his skills in high enough esteem to retain his expertise. Apparently, the check is still good too.
This is easily the gutsiest call Perry has made for his front office staff.
Michael Arcieri — Director of Basketball Strategy
Arcieri, another Orlando Magic alumnus, will be heading a fairly new section of NBA front offices. With the rise of statisticians in professional and college sports came NBA teams looking for an edge. A number of teams have combined strategy and analytics departments, leading to a more comprehensive study of the game. It’s possible that Arcieri will be working closely with Richard Dry, Director of Sports Technology, and Mike Smith, Director of Analytics and Pro Scouting. Arcieri holds a JD (that’s juris doctorate degree, not to be confused with an affiliation with JD & the Straight Shot) from Brooklyn Law School, and also attended the University of Bologna in Italy.
The most intriguing specialty he lists on his LinkedIn profile (I did some dry stalking, don’t judge) is a familiarity with the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, specifically in regard to cap space. The Knicks could definitely make use of someone who could show a bit of restraint when considering roster changes that affect cap space.
It’s not apparent how closely he’ll be working with Smith and Day, but it’s not wild to suggest they’d be sharing info fairly often.
Fred Cofield — Scout
The news release didn’t offer much about Cofield, save for the fact that he was drafted by the Knicks in the same year as the legendary Patrick Ewing and played two seasons in the NBA. Upon further investigation, it turns out Cofield has been bouncing around the NBA world as a trainer. He even trained the likes of Joel Embiid and several other draft prospects such as Jabari Parker before they began their NBA careers. Although both were obvious talents, it doesn’t hurt to have someone on the scouting corps who knows what that looks like.
Perry has reloaded the Knicks front office with names familiar to himself and approved by his supervisors. Madkins, Robinson, Ellis, Arcieri, and Cofield make up anything but the ragtag group you’d expect from Knicks management. Sure, they’ve traveled coast to coast working around the NBA, but when the next big job is on the other side of the country, you make the move. Most of these positions come by way of a promotion, so let’s hope these men are up to the occasion.
— Ty Jordan, staff writer
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