Looking back, Reggie Miller's choke gesture to Spike Lee was a harbinger of things to come.
1
“I'm going to take my talents to Brooklyn” said everyone.
11
MSG is “the world’s most famous arena?” More like the dumpiest.
17
Name one team in NBA history that won the championship while being lead by a Duke product? Most Duke grads are NBA busts.
4
I reveled in the Knicks' success under Ned Irish, Eddie Donovan and Red Holzman, but long ago lost any interest in this pathetic franchise. I can point to the 2004 firing of the incomparable Marv Albert as the moment when I walked away for good (or at least until new ownership takes over).
12
At least Steinbrenner was parodied in a comedy. Dolan will be parodied in a crime drama.
12
I've been unable to sit through a Knicks game in its entirety since the Patrick Ewing era ended. The brand of basketball played, even with Carmelo Anthony there, was boring and unwatchable.
Everyone in basketball; players, owners, agents and executives know that Dolan's a clown. A playboy born to wealth who has no qualifications or ability to run anything. If you're a smart up and coming basketball executive or coach would you want to work for someone like that?
When it comes to basketball Dolan is unaware of his own shortcomings. He's willing to spend money, I'll give him that, but his well known interference and bad treatment of former stars has cast a pall over basketball operations. If he's not going to sell the team he needs to do what he's done with the Rangers...step away and leave the people who actually know what they're doing to do their jobs and that's assuming there's anyone there who knows what they're doing.
13
I was a season ticket holder in Houston when we humiliated the nickets in Houston, including euwier... one of my favorite memories was Hakeem blocking starks to close it out. Nick's have never recovered... sadly
2
". . . and the Knicks, once a storied franchise, have fallen in stature in the view of emerging players and become just another team, like the Orlando Magic or the Atlanta Hawks."
Exactly the truth. That is what they are. The only advantage they have is that they are in Manhattan. And then they squander that by making players drive 60 miles round trip to go to practice in the boondocks. They deserve every loss they get.
5
Joining the Knicks is like working in the White House, not desirable.
17
The Knicks finally did something right. They didn’t sign an injured Durant who may never recover or be nothing like he was and a real malcontent like Irving. I think the nets made a huge mistake and will pay dearly in the future.
17
The Knicks finally did something right. They didn’t sign an injured Durant who may never recover or be nothing like he was and a real malcontent like Irving. I think the nets made a huge mistake and will pay dearly in the future.
4
Part ofthe problem is the media who continue to promote the "championship team of 1973" although the "elite" players of today have no idea who Willis Reed is. The Knicks are not a "storied franchise". Sorry. There are no multiple banners like the Celtics have, and there's no showtime as in Lakers. There's only the long tradition of losing, losing, and more losing. Yet the media still doesn't get it and can't fathom why the "elite" say no to the Knicks.
25
Unmentioned so far in this article and the comments is Isiah Thomas, who took over in 2003 as GM when the Knicks were still a decent team. They have been a train wreck since then.
But many of the other commenters are correct. Dolan has no incentive to win whatsoever. He's making money, he's got a packed house, and he massages his ego by keeping the drama high. The people who scream at Dolan in the Garden to sell the team are right. A new owner is the only salvation for long suffering Knicks fans.
24
I think missing in all this conversation is the aura of the Nets! Specifically, Brooklyn! When people think of basketball talent and where it was bred, they think Brooklyn, not Manhattan! And Brooklyn is booming! Perhaps, I’m digressing a bit, but it’s something to contemplate!
14
Don't blame Dolan. Phil Jackson the bloated ego of this guy not to mention the bloated pay that he received left an ugly blueprint in NY.
Not having Durant for what effectively is a 3 year productive term if he is healthy after his disastrous injury is a smart business decision and excellent risk mitigation. Kyrie Irving had been a disaster in Boston and could not play along side LeBron while winning championships in Cleveland. Who is to say he will be able to co-exist with Durant?
10
Perhaps with these two super stars joining the Nets something might change with the attendance at Knick games. Dolan's in it for the money like any other owner, and if he sees sell out crowds still attending games for a team with 17 wins all season there's really no problem where is matters most. If New Yorkers want to help the Knicks and the city, buy tickets to Nets games. Nothing changes the minds of guys like Dolan then when they're losing money...and the stunning success in Brooklyn might do just that.
10
This story should include the Mets and The Jets. Maybe the owners of our other two disfun tional teams aren’t AS horrible, but, the record speaks for itself.
6
Great sports franchises invariably start with great owners, owners with brains, integrity and grit. Owners that know when to step in and when to be hands off, that care about their coaches, their players AND their fans. Mr. Dolan has none of those traits. Thus, the current state of the Knicks.
15
Why play for such a despicable owner when other teams will pay you the same amount of money? Want to live in NYC? No matter where you sign, you can still enjoy all the advantages of the city in the off-season.
10
Arrogance is not the same as capability. Salary caps means you actually have to know how to run an organization to win.
5
I am one of many basketball fans that were introduced to the NY Knicks during Linsanity. The Dolan/Melo trainwreck that transpired showed me everything I needed to know about James Dolan and the Knicks. My condolences to the loyal fans of the Knicks. You deserve better.
13
So the Knicks, who famously paid Phil Jackson $60 mil to do basically nothing, refused to offer Durant a max contract??
12
That something is James Dolan, the most incompetent NY Knicks owner of all time.
21
Nets vs knicks all stars this century
Marbury Jason Kidd Kenyon martin Vince carter Deron Williams Joe Johnson Brook Lopez Deangelo Russell
Knicks all stars?
Stoudemire and Carmelo and Kristaps
The nets have been the better team for a long time now
5
There is no commitment to winning from the current ownership/management. It’s been that way for 20 years and yet Forbes published earlier this year that the Knicks are the most valuable franchise in the NBA with an estimated worth of $4 Billion. There is no incentive to change course unless Knicks fans are willing to stop attending / watching games as a boycott and protest. Only then will Dolan and senior management feel the financial pain that ultimately leads to meaningful change.
21
As a fan of the Knicks going back to Kenny Sears, "Jumping" Johnny Green, Richie Guerin, Willie Naulls et al....when the Celtics won EVERY year and the Knicks were mediocre at best, I'd say that the Dolan era has not only been bad, it's been head-scratching, nauseating and generally abominable.
I loved watching the Jason Kidd-led Nets when they were contending; they played a beautiful brand of basketball. I also was taken by last years version of the Nets. The heart of that team was D'Angelo Russell, kicked to the gutter to make way for Irving, a flat-earth nut case I wouldn't be eager to have on the Nets, Knicks, or any team I might root for. I think the cohesiveness the Nets showed last year will suffer, both from the presence of Irving and the loss of Russell. With no Durant, Russell gone and replaced by Kyrie, and a bunch of strong teams in the east, my expectations for the Nets this year are not that high. I believe they will regret signing Irving.
15
@bobg,
Bob some real pearls in your analysis.Jumping Johnny and that ex Marine Richie Guerin,Love it.I think you handicapped right on Irving.Flat Earth is enoughto sink the Nets.
Thanks for the Gems.
J Fitz
1
The last time I watched a Knicks game was in the Patrick Ewing era.. since then it's been downhill and stayed there.
Why would any player want to join a losing team.
Get rid of everyone and dont spend all your $$$$ on a few players. Rebuild the team.
Greed doesnt get far. Even in nyc.
5
I don't think its coincidental that I stopped caring about NYC pro basketball about the same time that Dolan took over MSG.
Dolan, a man born on 3rd base who seems to think he hit a triple is the worst owner in sports and its my fervent opinion the city should revoke his Penn Station and tax privileges and force MSG to move. Penn Station, like LGA is a disgrace and unless a major renovation coincides with demolition of the arena above any improvement project will just be window dressing.
Let's see if Cuomo has the guts to turn the screws on Dolan. I hope he does, but I'm not holding my breath.
16
The NBA is all about shoe sales and egos. For some reason Kevin Durant, who is 6'11'' or so, felt underappreciated and small compared to Stephen Curry who is 6'3''. Kyrie Irving is a good player but he is no Steph Curry. Irving felt underappreciated in Boston. So off to New York go Durant and Irving. The days of Kobe Bryant, a one team player with the Lakers all his career and a better player than either Durant or Irving, are over I suppose. I am not disputing the right of a player to go wherever they desire, I am only pointing out there are variations on desire in professional basketball.
5
Couldn't agree more with those expressing the sentiment that the Carmelo Anthony era represents the Tragedy of Dolan owning the Knicks and directing the franchise's actions. Anthony forced the Knicks to trade for him rather than allow them to sign him as a free agent. That initial move showed his character and foreshadowed his selfish destructive tenure and negative impact on the entire franchise. But Dolan is to blame because he had to have a "star" to market around his $ billion dollar Garden renovation and subsequent ticket price increases to the fans and he had it bad for Anthony.....So in the end it has been the extremely wealthy owner grotesquely running the team as a business first and not as a customer and fan focused enterprise. Its the Sign Of The Times in our NY Sports Teams and in our present government. The long term interests of the people, the fans, the customers, after the interests of the financially powerful, few. America, baby!
3
Whether Dolan acknowledges it or not, NBA players, especially elite one's with a large fan following, are far more likely to speak out on cultural issues than an NHL player. They see Dolan's petty acts of retribution toward Charles Oakley or even individual fans and immediately put a check mark in the "Reasons Not To Go There" column.
Outdated arena and practice facility 30 miles outside of town isn't usually a selling point when trying to lure the very best talent out there by itself. Combine that with a petulant, meddlesome and impatient owner who runs the operation like a tyrant and it's hardly a secret why the Knicks aren't the dream destination some believe they should be.
12
On top of it all, the advantages offered by large media markets are just no longer as important as they used to be. LeBron made the Cleveland Cavaliers a draw, and he would have done the same anywhere. And he sold a billion shoes. Media landscape has changed, for good.
9
It’s all in the name – Madison Square Garden!
The stadium is not at New York’s Madison Square. And it is not a garden!
James Madison was the rightful owner of the name. And Dolly Madison, his wife, made wonderful donuts – but one can’t imagine pushing something as small as a b-b through one, much less a basketball.
One can only imagine if Stephon Marbury had faced James Madison is a game of h-o-r-s-e … it would be forever known in history books as Madison versus Marbury – or maybe the other way around!
5
Sell the team already.
9
My team lost KD to free agency. How long did him to take note - while being paid a fortune - I'm either hanging w/ JAY-Z or Dolan?
2
"World's best city... world's most famous stadium". American Arrogance at its best my friends. Maybe some day you will have the worlds best public healthcare instead of a monthly mass shooting!
31
@josypelosi
How's that 20 percent unemployment working out? Or the breakup of your wonderful country.
Stick to the topic. All our countries have problems but we can all agree the Knicks are poorly run.
6
Even after renovation, MSG is an dated old dump whose NBA glory days were close to 50 years ago. Somehow this is supposed to be an attraction for ballers who likely never heard of Patrick Ewing, let alone Walt Frazier or Willis Reed?
16
Maybe it’s the uniforms? Horizontal stripes aren’t slimming.
5
Did you know...
The first NBA game was on Nov. 1, 1946, between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers.
Sadly, both teams are defunct.
10
We need a TEAM, not superstars. Stars know that the Garden is where the great basketball coaches and players come to die.
4
I would take Dolan over the Wilpons any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Dolan commits enough money to field a successful team. He meddles.
Mets ownership does not commit enough money ($123 million net payroll this year) to field a competitive team...AND they meddle. Sans a salary cap, no less.
Why no critiques of Fred, Jeff and Saul? They are ruining baseball for a generation of Mets fans. 🙁
2
Because this is a story about basketball?
18
@Henry
Because the Mets get to the world series every 5-6 years despite bad owners
2
Throughout an endless churn of team executives and coaches, one thing has remained the same: ownership. Enough said.
7
Dolan has a lot of Donald Trump in him.
21
The team will languish so long as it is owned by Dolan. He has taken one of the great franchises in the NBA and turned into a dumpster fire. His faith in Steve Mills seems to have more to do with docility than competence.
It’s an awful thing for all of NY to have the team operated by a bridge and tunnel trustafarian.
6
The money is now pretty equal between all the teams and there are some very classy NBA operations. The Knicks are not one of these. They treat their stars poorly and pay way too much for midling talent.
2
This story deserves a big “duh!” The problems start with the owner and a seriously over-obsessed media. It surprises me less when athletes pass on than choose NYC teams.
3
Personally I’m looking forward to the Taj Gibson era.
4
Donald Sterling and James Dolan are cut from the same cloth.
Sterling is ousted and the Clippers make the playoffs with head coach Doc Rivers and with a similarly talented roster as the Knicks.They also have a enthusiastic new owner in Steve Ballmer. Since Dolan plays the blues he's got to know that he's got that Bad Mojo. Time to sell.
4
Maybe it's not the Knicks at all, but rather egomaniac players reluctance to even consider failure. If they go to the Knicks and fail, they'll be justly blamed, and everyone will know about it-New York being the media Mecca of the world. So, rather than take the challenge, players like Durant and Irving, who are widely known for their athletic skills but not for their loyalty, determination, or persistence, take their talents to teams like the Nets, where expectations are lower, and excuses more easily made. Now that each has his championship ring, they're just looking for a soft, cushy place to "have fun."
2
No one outside of the bubble of Knick fandom was jolted when Kyrie and KD signed with another team. The Knicks are a joke and will be until they have new owners.
4
It is not necessarily the case that the Knicks are the worst franchise in the NBA (though they might be).
But based on the myriad advantages the Knicks have, the largest metro area in the country, the famous arena in the heart of Manhattan, the wealth and star power among its fans, the fact that it is such a nothing franchise makes it inarguably the worst performing franchise in the NBA and in major American team sports.
9
I like what the Knicks are doing right now, rebuilding. Something we haven’t done in a long time. Now that we passed up aging stars we’re the problem. I think the media just has an agenda against the Knicks organization.
As long as the current Knicks ownership remains the same, the teams performance will remain stagnant. No one, not players or fans wants to deal with Dolan. Get rid of Dolan for good, and good things will follow. There must be a billionaire out there that can check their ego at the door, lure talented management and bring this storied team back to life.
14
Something is wrong with the Knicks? Yes. The owner. He doesn't care.
11
My father often told me how great the Knicks . He wouldn’t miss a game and how disappointed he has been for decades in watching a team be run into the ground . The Knick’s standing in the basketball world is pathetic. The countless scandals the overpaid players who contributed nothing , the dragging out of a great player in the stands for no other reason than the insanity of the poor little rich boy who owns the team. The excitement of Lin sanity if only for a moment was electrifying and the player now has a ring.
We see what incompetence has done to a truly great team . The city has more than its share of rich people who have no talent and this is a glaring example in your face in regards to an owner who needs to sell the team and take his expertise to another sector.
New management can bring back the glory days, it can be done just not with the current ownership.
5
How is Isiah Thomas doing? and Charles Barkley? You can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep, or who they don't like. The NBA of the 21st Century doesn't need the giant media centers to attract good people, hence: San Francisco and Toronto and Cleveland can do things that continue to elude Los Angeles and New York. Any organization reflects the personality of those in charge. That's why the Knicks are the garbage can of the NBA.
3
I went to the NBA championship games in 1973 at the garden when the Knicks were great under Red Holzman. The Knicks won with players like Walt Frazier and Dollar Bill Bradley. That team and coaches has never been the same.
2
I think the first sentence has two things stated that don't matter much to NBA players "the greatest city in the world" and "the world's most famous arena". For years now this hasn't enticed the best players. Maybe New Yorkers and New York writers have a vanity about how everything NYC is "#1"?
12
Wait, the problem with the Knicks isn’t Donald Trump?? I must be dreaming!
3
The NBA should immediately set up two expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver.
1
Its a money thing. As long as the knicks can still sell tickets, the dolans could care less about winning. Its pathetic and dysfunctional above and beyond.
4
Face it--NY is a hot, crowded market. The owners of the likes of football's Giants, Baseball's Mets, The Knicks etc. enjoy sellout games because they have little competition from others for seats. The owners don't need to invest when there are plenty of corporations et al buying their tickets.
3
It is not very hard to figure out: It is ownership. Dolan has long been the Silver Spoon Fool of the NBA, has made the same hiring mistakes for decades and has run the franchise into the ground to where it is now the laughingstock of not only the NBA but pro sports as a whole. The problem starts at the top for the Knicks and trickles down. This will not change until Dolan is gone. He has zero credibility.
8
I don’t know if James Dolan has kids, but he’s the type of guy who would have some just so he can keep MSG and the Knicks in his family to spite us fans for eternity
4
Don’t trash the Knicks because Kyrie and KD didn’t come.
Neither has great decision making skills. Both chose to leave great situations (winning teams with great coaches, stable front offices and star teammates.)
Maybe the Knicks are a mess but the choices of Kyrie and KD aren’t the proof.
15
Jimmy D must go.
He never would be missed.
3
True, the NYK have suffered from poor management decisions for too long. However, would the same people slamming them for not signing KD be screaming about financial foolishness if they did sign him?
KD is amazing, but will sit for a year then come back as a big question. The Knicks need a solid plan for the future...and it starts with the draft. I like what I see and look forward to rooting for the ‘19/‘20 team.
Grew up a die hard fan in the area of Oakley, Mason, Starks, Ewing... rivalries with the Pacers, Bulls, Heat were just so good. But sometimes in the mid 2010's and after a few moves aroudn the country, I just stopped caring about the Knicks. I found the Lebron saga in Cleveland more compelling and now I just pick a team (Raptors this year) and root for good basketball and it is so much better and rational than having to be disappointed by a heart breaking playoff loss or worse, a team with no heart.
5
Those uniforms don't help. You may want to reconsider "the world's most famous arena" (fatuous boast?) as a reason a top shelf b-ball player would consider the Knicks. Ain't enough.
2
It’s really rather simple: the franchise is owned by the Fredo Corleone of NBA owners.
7
I don’t think the Knickers are the salient issue. Why would someone go to NY and be taxed at the highest rate in the country with the highest living costs? If I am going to bounce a ball for living, I certainly am not going to a state 60% of my money.
1
@Pilot Except Durant and Kyrie Irving both signed with the Brooklyn Nets, where they will be taxed at the same rate anyway.
4
I know it's hard for many NY'ers to comprehend, but it's very easy for others to see why players aren't interested.
33
Haven't followed the Knicks since my youth (the Clyde and Willis era). Saw one game in my life, during the Sprewell era, tickets given to me last minute by my then-boss.
For many years I have only been aware of them and their situation to the extent I receive it through the osmosis of the NY sport’s media (which is still more than I care to know).
So I had to go onto the ESPN website to see exactly what a 17 loss season in the NBA looks like, and it is astonishing. The red “loss” column stretched greater than the entire width of my computer screen at one point.
At one point in the season, the Knicks went a stretch of 1-27. Their home record at the vaunted world's "most famous" arena was 10-42, less than 25%.
So if you showed up for a Knick game at the Garden last year, you had a better chance of calling two consecutive coin tosses than seeing the Knicks win.
4
Clarification: Home winning record was "10 for 42" (10 wins and 32 losses). Home winning percentage nonetheless stands as less than 25%, or less than 1 in every 4 home games.
2
No championships since 1973? Amazing that New Yorkers accept such a low bar. I thought NY demanded excellence in leadership and performance. Sounds like a cable company... monopoly leads to high prices, poor service and bad performance.
10
Like the Mets, the Knicks will be bad until there's a change in ownership. As the saying goes, "The fish rots from the head down."
11
The problem is MILLS MILLS MILLS.
He was the GM when Phil was president . When he stabbed Phil in the back to get the president's job, he inherited all our 1st round picks and 20 million of cap space. Phil (despite errors) left us in the best position the team has been in in many years.
Mills immediately squandered the entire 20 million by overpaying for Hardaway Jr and Baker. The team got worse. That soured Porzingis on the turnaround plan. And we had to use Porzingis to partly clear out that bad Hardaway contract to get cap pace. Then we didn't land any stars.
Mills has been here from the start through all the Isiah debacles straight through now. Get rid of Mills and a real turnaround can begin.
8
Knicks made the right move this time by not signing Durant and Kyrie. Durant is not available for this season and Kyrie is past his prime and injury prone. Knicks should follow the Spurs model and focus on team work rather than relying on one or two stars.
6
James Dolan is the Dan Synder of the NBA. As long as he is the owner of the team and continues to meddle in basketball affairs that he knows nothing about, the Knicks will be playing 2nd fiddle to the Nets forever. NBA players look at the Knicks and think "Sure, they aren't going anywhere but at least they will overpay me for 2-3 years and I can cry all the way to the bank."
3
It seems so long ago but we should not forget that signing Amare Stoudemire in 2010 was a huge deal that seemed to set the stage for a Knicks ascendance. Some bad luck and Carmelo Anthony snuffed out that hope.
1
@Paul It was ludicrous and foreseeable so to pin hopes on Carmelo Anthony.
3
A little advice for those who must spend the holiday weekend with a Knicks fan: treat them like a bear with nearby cubs. Don’t move toward them, but don’t run away either. Bang pots and pans as they approach to make them go away. If necessary, play dead.
If your Knicks fan also happens to be a fan of the NY football Giants, USE EXTRA CAUTION, as they are in a heightened state of mourning right now.
If your loved one roots for the Knicks, Giants and the Mets instead of the Yankees (such pitiable people do walk among us — me included), all I can say is, Godspeed.
17
The Nets have been the better franchise for the past two decades when Jason Kidd first set up shop in the Meadowlands - period. In that time they made consecutive Finals appearances and terrorized the Eastern Conference till 2006(ish). They then got out of the swamp and first upgraded themselves by (now seemingly) betting that Newark was finally righting itself and temporarily moving there. They then completed the upgrade and moved to Barclays, catching the Brooklyn hype wave at the right time. Yes, the 2013 trade was a massive blunder, but they didn't wallow and kept moving forward. Meanwhile the Knicks are STILL talking about the Stoudamire years.
It seems as though the Knicks' arrogance blinded them to reality that this "Jersey" team was running rings around them. The Durant/Irving signings just made the pecking order so obvious that no one can seriously deny it anymore. The Nets' relentless hustle makes them more of a New York team then the Knicks with their gentrified trust-fund mentality. As a Nets fan watching this happen over the years, all I can say is that some respect for that franchise is due.
4
Boycott the Knicks! If you're in the crowd, chant "Sell the Team" until you're kicked out! That's the only way we can get Dolan to back off. He's Steinbrenner without a whit of success to assuage his tyrannical proclivities.
17
Dolan's rep is well deserved, but much of this is about Steve Mills. People around the league know he's brutally incompetent and a terrible manager. The first time he ran the Knicks it was so bad - sexual harassment lawsuits, toxic work environment, uncompetitive squad - the league had to step in under threat of harsh penalties to Dolan and insert Scott O'Neal to run the team. As soon as the club was stabilized, Dolan pushed out O'Neal (who now runs the 76ers and Devils) and rehired Mills. Top players and their agents won't go near the club while he's running it.
9
@GM
Dolan is the one employing Mills, though, the same way he protected Isiah Thomas (and sadly continues to listen to him), in the end as Truman says, the buck stops on his desk. A good owner surrounds himself with quality staff and lets them make the decisions, a good owner doesn't protect incompetence or worse, as with Dolan and Jeff Wilpon and the Johnson's with the Jets, actually run the team.
1
J-A-M-E-S D-O-L-A-N
11
Dolan, the Donald Trump of basketball!
20
If Oakley took a picture with Durant, you can bet he helped steer him away from the Knicks. What did Dolan think Oak would do after he ejected him from the Garden. VanGundy left the Knicks after Dolan and the Knicks gave Allan Houston an oversized contract against his advice. Dolan also hired Thomas who then hired Stephon Marbury and it only goes downhill from there. Maybe Dolan should get out of the NBA and into dog racing.
8
Why Stars Won’t Come to the Knicks
I can think of a lot of reasons
1.Crazy ownership
2. The practice facility is in Westchester, out-of -the -way, and a long traffic clogged drive to Madison Square Garden.
3. Fans who will turn on you in a heart-beat if they feel you don't measure up to some golden arbitrary standard.
4. Two sports talk radio station which roast the Knicks over hot coals daily. Just ask Patrick Ewing or Carmelo Antony.
5. One of the worst owners in sports is in charge of the hiring and firing and general direction of the team.
The fact is that the fraternity of NBA stars is a tight one, and the players tell their fellow players what it is like to play in such and such city and for such and such fan base and such and such owner.
Things will not change for the Knicks till Dolan sells the team, and he will never sell the team. My advice to Knick fans is to switch alliances to another basketball team, by continuing to support the Knicks you are propping up the obstacle that impedes your progress. Which is just crazy.
5
It has little to do with Knicks' long time losing and more to do with Dolans' fascist bent. He's feuded with former players, supported sexist employees, banned complaining fans and just got caught banning non-right wing media. Top free agents aren't simply looking for successful organizations, but they're looking after their brands that have short lives.
He's not very far away from the old Clippers owner, and we know what happened to him.
10
Dolan has no shame in putting out a horrible product year after year. The last burst of Knicks excitement was Linsanity, that's when Kobe was still playing. Dolan and Carmelo sent him out of town, and it was back to misery. Dolan should be shamed and the League should take charge of the franchise. It hurts the entire league for the NY Knicks to be so bad. Phil Jackson deserves some shame too. He was happy to take a check, but made no real effort. It's a good thing for Dolan that his dad was a business success.
8
Dolan's the kind of owner who reading these comments will blame us, the fans, and never look in the mirror and consider why he's hated so much by one of the most loyal, knowledgeable, and passionate basketball fan bases ever.
His classless move to eject a Knick legend Charles Oakely (remember when they used to win, unti dolan came along) goes down as the buffoon move of all time by an owner. Who's next Clyde or Willis?
12
The Knicks are a mark to be taken down by mid level players and B-rated (at best) front office “talent”, understood. In corporate circles, family-controlled private and sometimes even public companies may cling to appalling untalented CEOs, appointed from family ranks or their inner circle. Such as it is with the Knicks, there will be no end to wreckage until a success-driven professional implements proven, winning strategy.
2
If Mr Dolan is as smart as he thinks he is, he’ll sell the team. We know he has a huge ego, right? Well, what’s more damaging to the go than owning a decades long losing team and being blamed for it by everybody(fans, players, agents, media). The Charles Oakley incident was disgusting...and it is definitely haunting the team. Lastly, who in the world wants to COMMUTE for practice? How cool would it be if they had a practice facility somewhere near Chelsea Piers of Hudson Yard? Maybe Jim Dolan could ask The Nets if they could share practice facilities in Brooklyn. It would be the other selling point next to playing at MSG for new recruits. “Come to New York City, play at MSG and practice at the same facility as the world famous Brooklyn Nets!” Sell The Team!
3
This article tries to dig too deep. The blame for the terrible performance of the Knicks on the court and in the front office comes down to two words : James Dolan. Please Mr Dolan, sell the team.
8
@John It's Dolan only because he continues to back MILLS, despite years of his flat-out failure including losing millions of Dolans money in a sexual harassment lawsuit.
1
Sell the team. Sell the team. Sell the team. Sell the team. Sell the team. Sell the team. Sell the team.
10
Can a new Garden be built next to the new Yankee Stadium?
"...some (coaches) with impressive resumes, like Isiah Thomas..." huh?! Since when did Isiah Thomas ever have an impressive resume for any of his non-playing positions in basketball, whether coach or executive or part-owner? He has failed, everywhere, despite being given several chances. Which speaks to one of Dolan's many faults: misplaced loyalty.
4
I've been saying for years that those who really and truly care about the Knicks need to boycott the team in full (stop going to the games, stop buying team merchandise and stop watching on TV and listening on the radio) until James Dolan sells the team. Otherwise, the Knicks will continue to flounder under his incompetent, mercurial ownership.
The same is also true of the Mets; those who really and truly care about them need to boycott the team in full until Fred and Jeff Wilpon are in the Mets' rear-view mirror once and for all. The Mets will never see sustained success while either of them is in charge.
48
@Rick
Exactly. Dolan must go. I believe his goal to destroy the Knicks has been achieved and he should move on, perhaps to Boston. There are plenty of storied franchises to chose from up there he could bleed dry.
It was when Dolan, in 2015, publicly told lifelong fan Irving Bierman, a 73 year-old, after he criticized Dolan's leadership in a heartfelt letter, to "go root for the Nets because the Knicks don't need you" that I knew I was done with the team until Dolan was no longer there. Haven't paid any attention since.
18
@Rick
Nonsense.
The Chicago Cubs were the masters of capitalist corporate plutocrat oligarch welfare success for 108 losing years.
Despite playing in a poison ivy walled outfield with food fit for flies, pigeons and rats with drunken fans waiting for half- time to hit the head they regularly sold out Piggly Field.
Go you White Sox!
6
I’m with you on the Mets. I’ve been sour on Fred Wilpon ever since I read that it was former co-owner Nelson Doubleday who was instrumental in signing Mike Piazza — Wilpon thought he cost too much. And then Bernie Madoff happened.
5
Durant & Irving could have gone elsewhere, so let's give kudos to the Nets. Sean Marks & Kenny Atkinson have done a fine job of molding a team with players other teams gave up on. They have scouted well, and the assistant coaching staff is top notch. Opposing players have noticed and are impressed. Now the pressure is on to deliver a title within the next 3 seasons. Of course, they'll need luck to avoid injuries. A larger question: Can they come close to creating a fan base as loyal and supportive as the Knicks have had? Wins, attendance, TV appearances & team merchandise sales will determine the answer.
2
Dolan is a problem for sure. And like the Mets ownership, fans would be better off with different owners. However, not signing Durant and Irving this off-season struck me as a sign of organizational maturity rather than an example of continued disfunction. Durant won’t play next season. He’ll be a diminished, still-recovering player the season after that. And who knows if he’ll fully recover after that. And Irving is a terrific offensive player who’s defensive skills and effort are highly suspect and who seems to struggle in the locker room in the role of leader. The Knicks move of signing two-year contracts would appear to indicate that they have a plan and know what they are doing. They “missed” on the big superstars but didn’t freak out and sign big, long-term deals with players about to pass their prime. I like this new approach... but I still want Dolan to go.
2
My Portland Trailblazer team hasn't won a championship since 1977 or the Western Conference since the early 1990s. Lots of teams don't achieve those goals, but thankfully our team is still competitive and respected.
3
This article says it all. Instability, lack of direction, a meddling owner and the practice of thinking they are always one player away from a championship.
And that player is usually an aging star beyond their prime. You need a supper star to win in this league, but you also need a solid supporting caste.
Go through the list, Jordan, Magic, Bird, all had all star support to become winning franchises.
The Knicks will spend big on a star but neglect the foundation around them.
And let's face it. Basketball itself has changed. New York is no longer the legendary incubator of former Rucker League stars who become pros. Basketball is international and New York as "the mecca" is simply no longer true.
The Knicks need to get serious about re-building and while they do they need to stop raising the price of their tickets!
7
It could be those ugly black uniforms, too! Let us see the Knicks only in their classic white or blue uniforms from the early '70's. It could remind them and everyone of what champions looked like!
5
Apparently Dolan would not offer Durant a max contract on account of his injury.
You’d think the Knicks were a loaded championship contender instead of a team mired in 20 seasons of mediocrity and failure.
And apparently Dolan did not even engage Kawhi Leonard - arguably the best player in the league now that Durant is injured - because they were interested in other free agents.
Why would a team with the necessary cap space, and in the largest media market in the country not go after a player that would immediately restore its marquee status?
The problem is Dolan. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is the worst run team in the league. But because it continues to print money (due to MSG and the MSG Network mostly), there’s no reason for him to sell. The Knicks will remain a joke as long as Dolan is the owner.
11
@Vin
I don’t know think Dolan was even able to make any offer to Durant. Durant’s mind was made up after Irving made his decision to go to the Nets and also after listening to his buddy D’andre Jordan about his lack of playing time during his short tenure with the Knicks, not mention the way the Knicks treated Carmelo, Porzingis and Oakley.
The excuse about concerns of Durant’s injury was a cover up for another botched misstep this organization has made.
2
@Vin
I share your pain. Not only the worst run team in the league, perhaps the worst run team in all of sports.
3
I applaud the Knicks not signing Durant (Achilles injury age) and Irving (incredibly talented but a well-poisoning ball-hog).
Scott Perry is the best thing to happen to the organization since Donnie Walsh. Let’s hope he doesn’t meet the same fate. If we, as Knicks fans, could figure out a way to set Mills and Dolan out to drift on an ice flow, we should do it.
1
I think the Nets will regret the signings of Kyrie Irving and Durant. Kyrie is locker room poison and history is not on KD's side when it comes to returning to prior form after an Achilles injury. Its a huge role of the dice.
13
There is something wrong with the Knicks.
The OWNER. Dolan. Thinks he knows basketball better than anyone. The results are clear.
3
Everyone missed the point: the Knicks are popular. You’ll see potentially more Knicks fans at a game in Orlando or Miami or Brooklyn for that matter than the hometown team’s. This is on top of celebrities showing up to games. This is in spite of losing. Unless or until their popularity dips, nothing will change.
3
NY is blessed to have two of the worst owners in professional sports: Dolan and the Wilpons (at least Dolan doesn’t foist his kids on the fans). MLB had the right to oust the Wilpons after Madoff, as it did to McCourt when The Wilpon’s pal, Budd Selig, wouldn’t let LA sign a lucrative TV contract and forced them into bankruptcy. The Wilpons were allowed to jump through as many hoops as they wanted to keep the team. Disgraceful and I have not watched a full game nor paid for a ticket since.
6
This is a franchise that does things like hire Phil Jackson for a huge amount of money and he doesn't seem to know what he's doing the whole time. They hire Isiah Thomas who doesn't know what he's doing most of the time. They trade away Hardaway, when he's the best shooter on the team, to Atlanta, and then spend crazy amounts to get him back. And he doesn't play as well. They bring in Carmelo Anthony & expect him to carry the team to the playoffs with out help. They hire bad coaches. The scouts for the team don't seem to be very good. They just constantly make bad decisions. I think Dolan is given to much blame. But I may be wrong about that, cause most of the fans think he's the main problem .... I actually thought they had some young talented players this year. If I was a star player I wouldn't think about the Knicks. The franchise just seems in total disarray. Plus the NY Sports Media is brutal, constantly makes mountains out of molehills.
4
the Knicks and MSG are cash cows for the Dolans. That's the bottom line. The Only line. Dolan doesn't need to win to make money and not pay taxes. Players know this. Look what they did to the Liberty. Sent them to Westchester. Dolan has no Heart. Players want to play someplace that cares about people and the city. Dolan family does not deliver.
1
With set max salaries, money is not a big issue in free agency. Personal ties mean more. LeBron and Dwayne Wade were friends and both respected Riley. That’s what got LeBron to Miami.
Later, LeBron had moved his family to LA and his agent had the influence to get Luke Walton fired.
JayZ is the agent for both Durant and Irving and JayZ is fan #1 for the Nets.
Dolan is a problem. But that could be overcome if the Knicks had personal ties to prominent free agents. The NBA is becoming a social club and you need folks tied to your team that can punch your ticket.
1
Dolan seems to be one-half Trump, one-half (Redskins owner) Snyder. In other words, a certified loser.
9
I wish Dolan would sell the Knicks. Until then they should change their name to the "Dolans" because that's what they are.
1
For Washingtonians, he brings the meddlesome and inept Dan Snyder to mind. Except wait! He hasn’t doubled down on a racial slur as the team name. Never mind.
2
James Dolan? Why he's the Donald J Trump of Basketball.
4
The primary problem is fans, or in NY, corporations with season tickets, will always keep going. We need to stop going and stop watching. I will gladly give up basketball and baseball (I’m a Giants fan, but Honestly, the Jets are not the Mets or Knicks notwithstanding the losing) for 5 years (even 10) to get rid of these owners and I’m old. I will literally have a party when, if, the Wilpons leave town. Curse you Nelson Doubleday!!!
2
Sell the team!
2
Let's face it, pro sports teams are a study in leadership and management. There are great organizations with great outcomes and there are the others. The Knicks just happen to be one of the others. Go Yankees!
1
The NYT's coverage of local teams, particularly the Knicks and the Yankees, is an insult both to the teams fans and anyone who enjoys professional sports. It runs the gamut from negligence to insults, with very little in between.
As for Durant, having lived through the "when's Willis coming back" period of Knick history, I can attest to the agony of investing all your hopes in an ailing player's comeback from a major injury.
6
The Nets have always been the funkier, more wonderful team, a spawn of the ABA. With the exceptions of Earl the Pearl and Clyde, the Knicks have fielded plodding, slow footed, dim witted teams forever and a day. The Nets on the other hand, gave us Julius "Dr. J" Erving, still to this day the exemplar of everything cool and glorious floating above the rims of workaday life.
On another note, Brooklyn allows you to walk to work from Ft. Greene, a far sweeter atmosphere than what you encounter at the Garden, built atop the the burial mound of the old Penn Station, a curse if ever there was one.
6
@timbo I remember as a young Newsday paper-boy in the early 70s occasionally receiving tickets for the upstart Nets (and Islanders) at the Nassau Coliseum for signing up new customers.
But as someone who lived in Bklyn Hghts for about 5 years, I would disagree that the Barclay's location in downtown Bklyn, at the confluence of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, accessed by most via the horror show aka the Atlantic Ave. subway and LIRR stations, is any sort of aesthetic improvement over the Garden's surroundings.
@Dan88
I hear you, but still, if you're a player you can get a town house with a garden and a 5 or 10 minute walk to the arena. 34 St. is the foulest most Midnight Cowboy part of NYC and it's a long way to anywhere pleasant.
2
@timbo props for the Midnight Cowboy reference! (I most-recently watched it again over the winter with my girlfriend.) One can just imagine coming across Ratso-Rico Rizzo near the Garden and him insisting "C'mon, aw, c'mon, have some cawfee..."
The Knicks were actually world champions twice within 5 years, and competitive all the way until the early 90's. I was lucky enough to be along for the ride in '69-'70, and '73-'74. It was a wonderful time in New York and at the Garden. How can things have gone so bad? One word tells it all: Dolan.
12
Answers? Start at the top. The Dolan (generously described) organization is dysfunctional and it begins with the behavior and record of the guy at the top. His bad choices, unwillingness to admit mistakes, and egomania make it unlikely that anything will change while he owns the team.
4
Being a Canadian I’m biased, but I think the Knicks got them selves a really superb talent when they drafted RJ Barrett. He’s a quiet, sophisticated young man with the instincts of a shark on the basketball court. He’s just one player, but Knicks fans should rest assured, you didn’t “ lose” the draft. As for free agents, Kyrie never seems happy, KD is hurt and will be 32+ when he gets back, if he gets back. Five years ago nobody thought the Toronto Raptors would win an NBA title. Knick’s will be back.
12
That MSG may arguably be the world's "most famous" arena is a far cry from saying it is "the best." It is far from that. Most have to transverse Penn Station and/or the 34th St. Subway lines -- a singularly suffocating experience -- in order to get to this expensive, ancient and cavernous venue, with no supporting sites of interest or worthwhile dining to be found anywhere nearby.
31
@Dan88
Yep. And the NYT should at least put "most famous arena" in quotes. It is not a fact, just the preening self-indugence of an organization devoted to hype,
5
Isaiah Thomas - Impressive Resume? Are you Kidding? Not as Knicks GM; Not As Knicks Head Coach; Not as Head Coach at FIU; Not as President of WNBA’s New York Liberty; and not as a CBA Executive. No-His career with Knicks is a problem; as Ownership mistakenly listens to Thomas whose post playing career is not impressive
63
Dolan is poison, and the legacy of razing the Old Penn Station to build the rats maze that now exists means that "the world greatest arena" is built on pillars of sand. The building, the organization and the individual are morally and spiritually bankrupt. Never be champions until that building is torn down, a new Penn Station is build that is worthy of the city it serves, and Dolan sells the team. All 3 must happen for success to follow.
25
Yes +1000! This is exactly right. The very foundations of the stadium are rotten. An architectural masterpiece was unceremoniously torn down for no other reason than near term profiteering. Nothing good can come of that and nothing has.
2
Too much blame is heaped on Dolan. Sure, as head of the organization, he's most guilty for the knicks' failures, but there's blame to go around.
At the time, most people thought Phil Jackson was a great hire. Turned out, he was arrogant and lazy. He set them back a decade.
And let's not forget about Steve Mills, the President of the Knicks. If you ask me, he's the biggest reason of their failures. He's proven himself to be completely incompetent at running an NBA franchise for a long long time. Dolan's biggest mistake is he's too loyal to the wrong people.
14
@John Doe Who hired them? Dolan. In case you missed that part.
1
Some franchises are just cursed. They go unmentioned, but the Jets haven’t won a title since 1969. They have been through multiple owners, some who loved their team, and have come
Close to winning their conference but it has still has been 50 years of mediocrity at best. Maybe Dolan is actually just a symptom. No, I am kidding - it’s Dolan’s fault.
6
Dolan sounds like the Donald Trump of the NBA. Imperious, inserting himself into meetings, spending wildly after failures and not producing any results to call his own. Maybe he should be in charge of building the wall. He already has effectively built one around the Knick's locker room.
19
The Knicks recently had an opportunity to correct course and get on track when David Griffin was a candidate to lead their front office.
But because Dolan foolishly insisted on Steve Mills remaining involved (along with Dolan himself), Griffin wisely chose to move on to other opportunities where he would have full authority.
Now Griffin is turning around the New Orleans Pelicans instead, and the Knicks remain mired under Mills, in the same mess they've been for decades.
21
NY professional sports reflects human nature- there is absolutely no incentive to succeed.
Why would a financially successful owners of a lousy team WANT to do well? Either way the money flows in. The smaller markets NEED to figure out how to put together a successful mix of players, otherwise they would lose money.
14
My first reaction was Dolan, Dolan, Dolan. Many seem to concur. Ask the current stars if they have heard of Red Holzman (not a chance) and if they know that Walt Frazier is the guy who had 36 points and 12 assists in game 7. Their answer to the latter might be, “You mean that guy with the funny suits”?
12
I love how management keeps referring to the Garden as “the greatest arena in the world”. Why, because they say it is? There’s nothing special about it and the surrounding neighborhood is a dump. Despite periodic renovations the building is about 50 years old and looks and feels like it. Penn Station is a magnet for everything you want to avoid in a big city. Add to that lackluster management and a long-time record of chaos and futility. Yeah, players just can’t wait to get there.
47
@Larry. The Garden has history. So did the old Boston Garden. And so does the Staples Center. All are downtown arenas. A shiny new place in the suburbs could never measure up.
7
Except when it apparently does.
1
@Larry
It's the History. Everybody knows The Garden. The Knicks isn't the only game in town - pardon the pun.
It may now be a shadow of its old self but Madison Square Garden was and I think still is a name that elicits great esteem.
The "Curse of Melo''....pure and simple
That trade destroyed the Knicks and caused this life long Knick's fan to jump ship.
His ''iso'' self centered play together with his jealousy of Linsanity told me everything I needed to know as I reached for my life preserver.
Proud to be on board with the Nets.
They are so well coached, play team ball and are managed by a front office that is 5 star that it's easy to fall in love once again with the local team.
The Knick's are always planning and strategizing for the next season[s] or the next superstar free agent instead of building a strong foundation and culture
Never once do I look in the rear view mirror nor will I ever return
51
@Bob
Bob, couldn't agree more with you. Melo set this franchise back a decade. And his jealousy of Jeremy Lin shows you the type of person and player he is.
9
Dolan should stick to his music, which is worse now than any Knick game could ever be.
18
As far as I can tell from the outside looking in, the Dolans don't concern themselves with winning games, but instead are trying to get marquee names for a show. Any team that's going to let Porzingas and Hernangomez go at the drop of a hat, while hanging onto Melo well after it was clear that he made the team worse rather than better, isn't making sound basketball decisions, and shouldn't be trusted with any player's future.
19
Steve Mills is an “executive”? Sure he is. And I’m the tooth fairy. Brian Cashman is an executive. The Yankees are an organization. The Knicks are a disaster.
27
When a certain player tried to strangle his head coach, twice, I figured no team would want him. The Knicks did and I couldn't abide that. It wasn't "passion", it was an out-of-control criminal assault, yet they hired him.
I was actually willing to give them a 2nd chance when Jeremy Lin came in when Anthony was injured and the team started winning. When Anthony came back, they benched and traded Lin. Now Lin's an NBA champion with Toronto, Anthony is gone, and the Knicks make the Jets and Rangers look successful. And Anthony was never the player you build a championship around because the greats are team players.
Remember George Steinbrenner? Who managed to take the Yankees through their only decade without a championship (the 1980's)? They didn't start winning again until he was banned or he would have traded that great freshman class of Jeter, Posado, Rivera, and Pettite, the way he later traded away Robinson Cano.
The glory days of the Knicks of Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, through to Patrick Ewing are clearly gone till new, competent ownership takes over. Having lots of money and a giant ego doesn't make you a basketball expert.
72
@Dadof2
I'm not sure that Lin actually played in any playoff games this year. He's a champion the way their team doctor is.
8
Think he played 120 seconds....
2
@brooklyn still a champion, and Anthony is not
3
This is all Dolan. A fish rots from the head down....His dysfunction is the Knicks dysfunction. Sadly, nothing will change until he relinquishes control of the team.
38
You think you have bad owners? Try the Atlanta Spirit Group, which bought the At
Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Philips Arena.
They ruined the hockey team, and sold it off for peanuts to Winnipeg. They removed the ice making equipment and then sold the remnants off to another indifferent owner.
At least you can still get people to show up at a game, and you still have a competitive hockey team.
Quit whining.
2
@Bill Seng
We will if you will.
5
bring back Mike Burke ( or at least his spirit) . He's the last guy who really new how to run the Garden , the Knicks and the Rangers . The Glory Days
3
As long as mega buck tickets sell, nothing will change. Real fans do not count. Corporate ticket sales drive the process. It's a shame, because the Garden was once the NBA's Camelot.
11
The answer with the Knicks is the same as with the Mets and Jets, bad ownership and chaotic organizations. With Jeff Wilpon and Jimmy Dolan you have twins separated at birth, the scions of well off fathers who built successful businesses (sterling equities and Cablevision), who bought sports teams and used them as a place to put a son who showed themselves to be useless in the main business, both were put into positions where they likely could make their wives happy that the son had a job, but where they couldn't do any damage to their real interests. The only difference is Jimmy Dolan is willing to spend money like it is paper on the team, while Jeff Wilpon and the Mets are ridiculously cheap, both franchises have large revenue pools, the Mets though spend like they are the Milwaukee Brewers with a revenue base one of the highest in MLB...but in the end, they are both organizations that are dysfunctional, thanks to schlubs who own the team and insist on basically running it. Jimmy Dolan and Jeff Wilpon remind me of the Woody Allen character in "The Front", a nobody writer who is recruited to submit works for blacklisted writers in the 1950's, but after a while starts insisting on 'artistic changes' in the works he is fronting, as if he in fact was a great writer.
34
Fans need to boycott these teams, Period. Put the Mets and knicks into bankruptcy and force the league to oust these bozos.
2
The Knicks may not be able to pull themselves out of this malaise until Dolan sells the team.
6
We fans are free agents, too. We can choose to root for another team anytime we decide. Today's fans are smart and well-informed. We admire basketball skill both on the the court and off--including in the coach and the management. All of which is to explain why, as a lifelong Knick fan, and like so many basketball fans in NY, I'm saying farewell to the Knicks who don't seem to care about me. I'm donning a Nets jersey, just like Durante and Irving, and joining a NY team that cares passionately about serving their fans and are doing so with consummate skill.
62
@Ben Hope
You comment begs the question of what a fan is. In my opinion a real fan bonds with his team or club when he or she is young, enjoys the good years and endures the poor ones. No real fan is a free agent, checking the standings to see who to root for next. Being a sports fan is a tribal experience and changing tribes because your team is struggling badly just doesn't cut it. My hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers, has not won the Stanley Cup in 26 years, largely due to some terrible mis-management, just like the Knicks, but I cannot even imagine switching my allegiance to a rival club because they are a better team.
1
@Tom Barrett
I hear you, Tom. In one sense, our emotional bond with the team we've loved is our personal "long-term contract." And it's a hard one to break, I know.
My friends have said the same thing to me--you're not a "true fan" if you're not for the team through thick and thin. I've been called a "fair weather fan," interested only in the good times.
I can't help it. In childhood, I felt the everlasting bond. But as an adult, I've come to admire skill and competence more than local tribalism, although I'd love the social experience of any local team striving for a championship.
To each his own. There are so many demands on one's time these days, if the reward of the experience through thick or thin despite years of futility and incompetence is worth it to you, more power to you. For me, it's just not rewarding enough to spend lots of hours watching futility, incompetence, or selfish play, all of which contradict my personal values. I find it to aggravating and frustrating.
To each his own.
All the best,
Ben
5
I think there's also a cultural issue. The Nets are hip, and their location as well as marketing resonates with the younger generation, particularly African-Americans. The Knicks are basically putting on a show for rich white people who take taxis from their Midtown offices. That may have worked in the '60s, but it probably isn't going to work right now.
24
@Michael Livingston’s
Given the ticket prices the Nets are now planning to charge, I doubt young, hip people are going to be going to see the Nets, it is going to be well off white people mostly as well I would bet. I don't think the players care who is going to the games, to be honest, I think they would go to a team like the Knicks, who have a ton of revenue because they sell out, because they can be paid, I think if players don't go to the Knicks is they don't to be part of a losing team.
6
It’s Dolan. Any other concerns players may have are secondary at best.
7
@hottubpete It's Dolan ONLY as long as he supports MIlls.
1
The only way to get Dolan out is to stop going to games. Slower profit growth is the only think that will force him out.
34
@Neighbor2. I've wondered the same thing. If he keeps seeing a mostly full arena sitting around him, Dolan might not be as likely to give it all up especially if he thrives on being seen.
I can remember one of the low points in Milwaukee Bucks history was when a fan wearing a bag over his head taunted team owner and former US Senator Herb Kohl. The team wasn't sold the following day, but the somewhat defiant act might have put the seed in Kohl's mind that he should consider passing the torch.
My guess is that Dolan is far more stubborn than that as children who inherit immense riches from their parents often are.
13
I love hockey, and bleed for the Rangers. I’m so glad Dolan spends his time on his basketball team.
14
No... the Knicks aren't like any other team when you include the Magic. The Magic, using young, up-and-coming talent and role players, finished 42-40 this season, 7th in the East, and 25 games ahead of Dolan's pride and joy. They just re-signed super sub Terrence Ross and one of the NBA's best centers... Nik Vucevic. Either or both could have chosen the Knicks. They chose to stay with a franchise building the right way, something apparently anathema to Dolan and Steve Mills.
18
Been a Knock fan entire life. They will never win again so long as Dolan is owner. He is a cancer on the franchise.
94
The greatest city in the world? Do you mean Toronto? Ah, Portland? Huh, maybe LA? Get over yourselves New York. It's the hubris of NYC and the current president, and the place from which he hails, which keeps people away. Open your eyes, the world has moved on from NYC.
20
Ask the players about that..leaving LA out of it, going to a town like LA or NY means a ton of merchandising and other opportunities even if you are LeBron or Steph Curry, you build a winning team in places like NY or LA and even the role player guys find themselves with all kinds of opportunities they wouldn't get in Toronto or Portland. Some players like not being in a media hub, of course,but take it from a friend of mine, who is a sports agent, with a city like NY or LA, if a player doesn't want to go there it is because the place is dysfunctional.
8
@john
Tell that to the legions of young people driving up rents in Brooklyn. Brooklyn, rightly or wrongly, has a huge "coolness" factor.
3
@music observer Yet, somehow, the three most well compensated endorsers in NBA history played in Cleveland/Miami, Chicago, and OKC/Oakland. Players from Portland, OKC, Oakland, and Houston top the list list of current NBA endorsement deals. Winning is the key, not location.
4
This article could have been 2 words: James. Dolan. That’s what’s wrong with the Knicks.
140
@Eric M
Is Sheldon Lee the Shawn Carter solution to the New York Knickerbockers problem?
Or is a name change the answer?
Knicker echoes the N...word way too much for my taste.
1
There’s a common denominator: Dolan
Fans should boycott the Knicks until Dolan sells. Money talks and if they can bear to miss watching their beloved knocks lose for about 3 years, they will be rewarded.
14
Dolan. The Garden is a leper colony bc of him.
16
Sell the team.
38
One word why-Dolan.
7
Can the NYT now do an investigative journalism story on the Wilpons, owners of the Mets? They have essentially ruined the team. Sure they caught lightning in a bottle in 2015, but otherwise it’s 17 years or failures.
7
Where is Ray Felix when we need him?!
5
@MCH
Thanks for the blast from the past. And when the Knicks played there, was the 69th Regiment Armory the "world's most famous arena"?
Lifelong Knicks fan. Hate Dolan. Will not pay to return to the Garden until Dolan is gone. Have told my children NOT to root for the Knicks also - not that they would have; they don’t want to be tortured like me!
36
Just another case in which a wretched owner scares away talent. Players do not forget the way Dolan trashed Charles Oakley. I was an enthusiastic Knick fan when they actually played team basketball. The Garden was filled with knowledgeable and appreciative fans. Today, the team is unwatchable and it doesn't make a difference to the "fans" who spend their time talking on their cell phones and taking selfies. Pathetic how low the team and arena has fallen.
28
Sell the team! (you can't eject me, Dolan. I will not go near a Knicks game until after you sell the team)
23
The line about the thirty mile commute being a turn off reads as so tone deaf ... if you make millions, drive thirty miles to go to work. Just like everyone else.
11
@JMF is it tone deaf if the NYT is accurately reporting an obstacle felt by the players? The writer isn’t soliciting sympathy, he’s stating a fact of the matter. Besides, your comment ignores the fact that these players can receive the same millions to live a more centralized lifestyle with various other teams, including the Brooklyn Nets.
10
Knicks ownership stinks. The word is out, the boss wants to interfere with productivity. They simply have failed for thirty years . Even when the Knicks had Ewing playing and before with the great star Bernard King they never won a championship. Knicks ownership is to involved , and they should simply hire a great coach, have a ten year plan , and tell the Cable guy to zip it.
9
Anyway you try to peddle it, the problem of the abysmal play of the Knicks is their management.
Who in their right mind, let alone a superstar, wants to go to a perennial loser, with the worst GM in Knicks history. No one.
It's great to see the Nets grow and thrive and hopefully bring a championship to the NY area.
There's only one way the Knicks get better. Fire Dolan, a Trump like egotist always ready to make the worst decisions. The Knick fans will soon be riding the train to Brooklyn.
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@Bocheball Knick fans have been and will continue to ride the train to Brooklyn, at least when their favorite team plays there. That’s because affordable tickets are still available for fans who come to Barclays Center.
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When LeBron made his "Decision" a few years back to head to Miami, a main factor was the favorable tax climate in Florida. NYC is one of the worst destinations, if not the worst, for highly compensated professional athletes.
As a Celtics fan, we once again thank the Nets for taking the cancer that is Kyrie Irving off our backs. No one questions his talent, but he is petulant, narcissistic, and a poor team leader, traits that alienated him from the expectations set by Boston sports fans. Good luck!
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Nobody west of the Hudson River; except some folks who remember Willis Reed, Clyde, and Earl the Pearl; care a hoot about the New York Knicks.
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Don’t forget Dave Stallworth and “give a foul” Mike Riordan.
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Is Madison Square Garden really "the world’s most famous arena"? Seems pretty unlikely today given the small footprint of basketball and ice hockey (not to mention boxing) and the global fame of football stadiums like Wembley in London. But if there's a source or a rationale, that should be in the story.
It's a minor point but this kind of blinkered US- and NYC-centric view of the world is embarrassing, and something like this can be more-or-less fact-checked.
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@Lucas it's a marketing slogan used actively by Madison Square Garden to promote itself. I wouldn't read much more into it than that.
It is weird that journalists keep repeating it, though, it's the equivalent of writing an article about Coca-Cola and constantly referring to it as the Real Thing.
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@Lucas Wembley is not (in American lingo) considered an arena. It is a stadium. So they aren’t comparing it to the Bernabeu, rather indoor facilities like the O2 Arena or Bercy. By that definition MSG is likely the world’s most famous arena. All my friends in France had heard of it, and I guarantee that no Chinese guy has heard of any “arena” in Europe that wasn’t built by the Romans.
Also: you may be right about ice hockey and boxing, but basketball’s global footprint is massive, second in team sports only to football. NBA stars are household names all across the world, and Euroleague teams are starting to have the financial power to sign players away from the NBA (a league in which multiple players have signed 5 year contracts paying around a quarter of a billion dollars). The recent NBA champions featured players from six countries on a twelve-man roster, playing for a team not even located in the US.
In my travels I found that the country that followed and liked basketball the least was none other than the UK, a country in which darts are a major live TV draw. I suspect the reason for this is the existence of the British sport of netball, an aggressively non-aggressive sport resembling dumbed-down basketball, but played only by girls and allowing little defense or contact. A British man wouldn’t be caught dead playing it.
Meanwhile when I started a basketball team at a boys college in east London, 45 out of the 80 Year 7s wanted to sign up. Whose footprint was that?
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Maybe you are unaware of North American terminology but Wembley is a stadium not an arena.
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This ain't rocket science: Dolan has a well-earned reputation as somebody you don't want to work for. At the superstar level, that's all they need to know.
Dan Kravitz
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I wouldn’t mind driving my Bentley 30 miles to work every day.....
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Or if it’s too far, get a driver. They certainly can afford it
Players, coaches and executives have changed over the years but ownership has not. Not difficult to figure out what is keeping top free agents away.
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You did not mention the curse of the Knicks -- the tax abatement for MSG that was to last for a decade and has gone on for I believe 30 years. Aside from essentially stealing money from children in NYC, after all those tax receipts could be used for good things, it gives Dolan guaranteed profits, hence no incentive to sell the team.
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@SDG
And the curse of the destruction of Penn Station...
MSG is built atop a burial ground.
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@SDG
Michael Jeffrey Jordan aka Air aka MJ aka # 23 aka GOAT was born in Brooklyn and raised in North Carolina and praised in Chicago Illinois.
“For years it has seemed, at least in the view of New Yorkers, that the opportunity to play in the greatest city in the world”
New York isn’t even in the top 5 cities in North America, let alone the world. And I live here.
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@Jay Lincoln: That’s cold. And wrong. And I don’t live there.
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@Jay Lincoln
That’s cold. And wrong. And I DO live there.
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@jay Lincoln, I have never been to New York, State or City, but I have heard it is wonderful and a most magical city. San Francisco is probably #1 and Los Angeles #2, so I think New York could possibly be in the top 5.
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I agree that Dolan is not a helpful character. But these pundits seem to forget that Irving wanted to play for the team he rooted for since childhood and Durant is best friends with Irving and has always wanted to play with him. Knicks had little chance of signing Irving who strongly favored the Nets so by default they had little chance of signing Durant who also has a potentially career limiting injury and will not play next season.
The point is the Knicks have not drawn ANY of the big name free agents since Stat (even Melo was a trade, although he was willing to come to the Knicks). Last time Knicks were even relevant, many of today’s best players were in pre-school.
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The narrative among media for thirty years is that players not only want to go play for the Knicks but need to play in NY when in fact history proves the opposite. You do not have to play in a big market to cash in 100 million dollar endorsement deals in the NBA. As such, weather has more drawing power than some phony Knicks history that doesn't exist. I am 48 years old and the Knicks have NEVER been relevant franchise since the merger in 1977. Those perennial 3rd and 4th place Ewing teams are the high water mark. They are not an important NBA franchise.
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@Edward Brutal in it's honesty, and spot on.
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@Edward
Why would any brown or black NBA star want to play for the Knicks while Donald Trump is President of the United States?
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Lifelong Knick fan. Very very tired of Dolan. Knicks have been in shambles since the overpay to Ewing. Time to switch to the team in my borough. Nets may not be champs, but they have a viable plan. And maybe the Nets can inspire some of the spirit Brooklyn had when the Dodgers were here.
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Not a fan of Knicks management but let's wait and see about Brooklyn this year. They lost Russell who was the key to their success last year, Durant will not play which makes Kyrie the leader and he's not always performed well in that role.
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