The New York Knicks finally broke The Curse of Charlie Ward by extending RJ Barrett. Let’s dive in and make sense of this.
RJ Barrett was, still is, and will be, a New York Knick!
The New York Knicks are a cursed franchise. Basketball empires have risen, fallen, and risen once more, all the while the Knicks have continually built teams with the structural integrity of a Jenga tower. Unfortunately, New York’s General Managers have never truly committed to a rebuild. Instead of focusing on the NBA Draft for all-star talent, the organization has continually sought that “big splash,” that shortcut to championship contention (a mentality doomed to fail repeatedly).
Some curses need to be broken. And with the many bewitchings afflicted upon this organization, none are more embarrassing than the Charlie Ward Curse.
The Charlie Ward Curse was the fact that the Knicks have never signed a first-round pick to a contract extension since 1999 — the curse’s namesake being the last player to do so. Some notable players are Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox (who turned out to be certified busts).
There have been good picks like Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Iman Shumpert, David Lee, and Danilo Gallinari. But due to organizational instability, they found themselves on new teams before the Knicks could even discuss contract extensions. Then there were picks like Frederic Weiss, Mike Sweetney, and Jordan Hill, who make Kevin Knox look like a GOAT.
For New York to rebuild, they needed to break the Charlie Ward Curse, and after 23 years, they finally broke one by extending RJ Barrett — the third pick in the 2019 draft — to a four-year contract worth potentially up to $120 million.
RJ potentially represents something this franchise hasn’t had since Patrick Ewing: a homegrown superstar. Because of this, the fanbase has been remarkably accepting and patient of RJ, more so than any player in recent history. Sure, he has his haters, and sure some of their criticisms are valid. Still, the deserved leeway the media and fanbase has given him has undoubtedly made the daunting position of being a franchise player slightly easier.
But, in Cardiac Knicks fashion, the stable relationship between the front office, fanbase, and player was disrupted by the recent Donavan Mitchell trade rumors. The front office clearly values him highly, but not too high to be kept out of a trade for Donovan. If the recent gamut of talks are to be trusted (which they shouldn’t in general because the NBA media are silver-tongued), RJ was on the trading block. His inclusion justified one less unprotected first-round pick (two instead of three) and only one other young talent in Immanuel Quickley.
Say what you will about the current regime, but they are dedicated to rebuilding organically and have taken a deliberate, patient approach. Or perhaps this is what they would like the fans to believe. Despite being strong moves, the Jaden Ivey trade and the Donovan Mitchell trade eventually fell through because the opposing teams asking price was too high.
That is a sign that the front office understands the value of their assets and don’t want to sell low or that they are gun-shy and unwilling to take risks. This patient approach is admirable, especially considering the impulsivity of previous regimes, but don’t give them too much credit; they needed to spend assets to reverse the negative effect of last off-season’s contracts, assets they could have used in one of the aforementioned trades (the Cam Reddish trade is starting to look like a wrong move as Cam’s value cools while his bench seat gets warmer).
The façade of Leon Rose as a calm, savvy mob boss type person is slowly giving way to a man who is over his head, unable to handle all the cards in his deck properly, and incapable of attracting star talent.
Imagine this: A thirsty fellow sits at a bar and flirts with a girl. Suddenly, a prettier one walks by, and he gets up from his seat to talk to her. But without the proper game to attract her, he gets swiftly rejected and, in his dejectedness, returns to the other girl, happy but still wanting more. But because the first girl is offended, you smooth her over by whispering a few sweet nothings into her ear.
That is the situation the front office found themselves in when they inserted RJ into trade discussions, putting a sour note on what otherwise has been a good relationship. And like all relationships, it’s best to put some of the ugliness aside and instead focus on the good to come. It’s not all that ugly since Leon wanted to invest in proven all-star talent in Mitchell rather than unproven all-star talent in Barrett.
Sentimentality aside, a package of RJ and two unprotected first-round picks for Donovan Mitchell would be hard to be angry at had it gone through. Barrett’s ceiling as a two-way threat is undeniably intriguing, and his calm mentality is uniquely adapted to deal with the white-hot lights of New York City. Most fans are excited to have him still be a part of the team, and for a good reason.
RJ’s linear progression is uncanny. His points per game started at 14.3 in his first year, 17.7 in his second, and 20.0 in his third — let’s also consider that Barrett averaged 24.5 points per game post the All-Star break. This clear upward trajectory would open the wallet of any savvy investor. The Front office deemed him worthy of a nine-figure contract, plus incentives. Based on his progression, this is the year he is poised to ascend to all-star status.
“What kind of message did [the contract] send to [RJ]?” Alan Hanh asked Leon Rose in one of his few public media appearances.
“RJ, you are a centerpiece of the New York Knicks” Leon replies. “You are a key piece to our future and our success.”
In an ideal scenario, RJ Barrett will play well enough to make us forget what a “Spida” even is. He could become that perpetual all-star, that face of the franchise, that the fans have been clamoring for.
On the opposite end, if RJ starts to stagnate, then it will mean that this organization is in dire straits. Besides a few young players with strong role-player potential, this franchise will essentially be back to square one in the rebuild process. So depending on Barrett’s play, the contract can look like a massive steal or an overpay for an average starter. Hopefully he will come out hungry and motivated to earn that coveted All-Star spot (we know he has a bad habit of coming out slow to start the season — he averaged 12.8 points per game with a 35.4 field goal percentage in November for the 2021-22 season).
In a recent Instagram post, RJ stands hunched over a chain-link fence, pensively staring into the roiling Hudson Bay. He looks tired, his shirt drenched in sweat, and his head slightly bent forward. A panoramic vista of New York City lies in the distance, and the angle places the bottom of those skyscrapers just at the height of his shoulders. RJ knows that the entire city rests on his back, a burden that foretells legendary glory or scorned defeat.
Can he help uplift a franchise that has dwelled in the doldrums for decades? Can he win the adoration of a notoriously fickle fanbase? All signs point in this direction, but at the end of the day, he needs to put on that orange and blue uniform and ball out. Success is never guaranteed.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out the latest Knicks Weekly, where Tommy Beer joins CP and Alex to discuss season expectations!
