In N.Y., Marc Berman notes one of the "holdups" to new Knicks President of Basketball Operations Leon Rose officially joining the team is his "participation in the Heat's three-day Dwyane Wade retirement extravaganza this weekend, which Rose helped plan" as part of his former role at CAA. Wade's celebration will be "one of Rose's last acts as an agent." Wade has been with CAA for many years. Rose's colleague, Henry Thomas, was Wade's primary agent until he died in '18, after which Rose "became more prominent on Wade's team" (N.Y. POST, 2/19).
GIVE HOPE A CHANCE: In Pittsburgh, Paul Zeise notes Pirates GM Ben Cherington has "said all the right things," and the "same can be said" about President Travis Williams. This "should be a time of unlimited optimism for Pirates fans," but "unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case." Some of the blame for that rests "on the shoulders" of Owner Bob Nutting. This Pirates regime is "new and deserves a shot, but they won't get nearly as long of one as they deserve" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 2/19).
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: In Michigan, Ansar Khan notes the Red Wings "could be historically bad in Steve Yzerman's first season as" Exec VP & GM, but that "doesn't cloud ownership's view of the big picture." Red Wings President & CEO Chris Ilitch "realizes rebuilding takes time and stressed patience" yesterday. Ilitch said of Yzerman, "From my viewpoint, he's doing an excellent job. He's very early in his role but I think Steve knows what to do, he's executing that plan" (MLIVE.com, 2/19).
