Fresh off the glow of Network Automation Forum's AutoCon 5 in Munich, Germany, I had planned on writing about the event, the people, the lessons learned, you know, the usual conference recap.
But I changed my mind. Why? Because the New York Knicks just won the championship after a 53-year drought.
As a lifelong basketball fan, I remember clipping newspaper articles about Magic Johnson and Larry Bird after my dad finished reading the paper. As a newly immigrated 13-year-old kid, I learned how to say "I am open" in three different languages on the basketball court before I could carry out a normal conversation at the grocery store.
Not only did the Knicks win, but they also came from the era of Isiah Thomas win-now stacking of pass-their-prime stars, Phil Jackson's running-the-triangle-at-all-costs, and all the off-the-court drama involving ejecting their longtime Knicks hero Charles Oakley. If someone were measuring the distance traveled, the 2026 Knicks would probably have overcome more adversity than the previous year's champions.
How did they do it? More importantly, what are some of the lessons we can take away for ourselves? Here are three lessons I think we can learn from them for our next, say, network automation project.
Lesson 1: Have a Long-Term Vision
For over a decade, starting from 2003 with Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, the Knicks front office focused on trading future draft assets for win-now stars in New York. Followed by Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson's public feuds with star players. By the early 2020s, the New York Knicks were not a place people wanted to be. But the hiring of Leon Rose introduced a new approach and, for the first time, a vision and a new Blueprint. He stockpiled future draft picks and hired capspace guru Brock Aller to weaponize the team's salary cap. The vision started at the top and trickled down to the team.
Lesson: You need to have a vision for your network automation project. Do you want to simplify the workflow? Decrease human error? Adapt agility for business? Great, have a plan and stick to it.
You need to have a vision for your network automation project. Do you want to simplify the workflow? Decrease human error? Adapt agility for business? Great, have a plan and stick to it.
As a side note, if you need a place to start, I would highly recommend taking a look at the Network Automation Forum's community-driven Network Automation Architecture, which provides the building blocks necessary for modern, scalable network architecture.
Lesson 2: Increase 'Skins in the Game'
Leon Rose leverages his personal relationship with Jalen Brunson, as he was his former agent and godfather, to sign him away from Dallas. Brunson immediately became the anchor and the centerpiece of the roster, not to mention taking a staggering $113 million off the negotiating table to allow the Knicks to acquire championship-level talent without reaching the salary cap, namely Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Not to mention the now infamous 'Nova Knicks' uniting three core players who played together at Villanova University that won the 2016 NCAA Championship.
Brunson immediately became the anchor and the centerpiece of the roster, not to mention taking a staggering $113 million off the negotiating table to allow the Knicks to acquire championship-level talent without reaching the salary cap, namely Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Lesson: You need people who are invested in your project. Communicate your vision to the team to gain their buy-in. In 'Skin in the Game', Dr. Nassim Taleb explains the different investment levels, with the highest level being financial exposure that aligns one's own risk with the common goal. The more members you can convince to invest heavily (in time and money), the greater the chance of your project's success.
I would highly recommend the AutoCon 5 keynote speaker, Michael Bushong's talk on getting to know different stakeholders 'why. I bumped into Michael after the talk and told him it was one of the most interesting, relevant, and timely talks I'd seen in person and online in a while. I plan to rewatch it a few times when the recording comes out, and I hope you can, too.
Lesson 3: It's Good to be Lucky
Luck has always played a part in life and sports. Yes, OG Anunoby had a game-winning tip-in after a historic block, but that was only allowed by De'Aaron Fox's inexplicable decision to go for the layup instead of dribbling out the clock. Yes, the Knicks played well, coming from behind in all five games by double digits (including a historic 29-point deficit in Game 4), but they also faced the second-youngest Spurs team, with an average age of 25, that lacked playoff experience. The Knicks also did not sustain any major injuries to their core players in the entire 2026 playoffs.
Lesson: Recognizing the role of luck played in your project. You can't control everything. Sometimes the decision-maker leaves; other times the open-source tool you intend to use folds. Stay humble when you succeed, but keep your head up if your project does not.
Conclusion
In the end, transforming a network automation project from an initiative into a success takes more than just technology. Just like the 2026 Knicks, you need a long-term vision, ensure your stakeholders are invested, and recognize you need a bit of 'luck' with the humility to handle what you can't control.
What do you think? Have you seen these three elements play out in your own automation journey? Is there another lesson I missed? Let me know in your comments below!