The Greatest Common Factor: James Dolan

[Mecca]

Yea man sorry to break it to you..it's mostly luck. Think about the other 27 teams other than Cleveland spurs and golden state. No chance of winning this year..does that make the owners bad owners? Nope..they have had bad luck just like we have. Guess what..other teams have been as bad as we have for just as long. We didn't get lucky in drafting kawhi curry lebron Durant. Unless you have one of those true superstars on your team, you ain't winning.

All of your posts consists of "we suck it's Dolan's fault". But you still can't seem to answer this question, what would you or what could have Dolan done differently over the last 10-15 years that would make us a championship team right now? Draft curry? Not a single person in the world predicted steph being as good as he is.

Seems like other posters are starting to realize u can't really blame this on Dolan. Maybe u need to come around too?

Why do you keep talking about championships? We haven't even been mediocre! We have been downright horrible!

What's wrong with you man? Have you been in a coma for 20 years? Or do you think losing and losing badly every year is actually normal for a professional team?

Guess you're not going to answer my question then? Man all I'm saying is that yea it sucks we've been bad for so long but it ain't all dolans fault and I still haven't heard a solid/specific reason as to why it is his fault. Please enlighten me

But it is his fault. Dolan pressured Walsh into trading for Melo which robbed us of all our assets, gave the keys to Isaiah Thomas, gave the keys to Phil Jackson, and has funneled dysfunction into the organization.

[MP4LIFE]

Yea man sorry to break it to you..it's mostly luck. Think about the other 27 teams other than Cleveland spurs and golden state. No chance of winning this year..does that make the owners bad owners? Nope..they have had bad luck just like we have. Guess what..other teams have been as bad as we have for just as long. We didn't get lucky in drafting kawhi curry lebron Durant. Unless you have one of those true superstars on your team, you ain't winning.

All of your posts consists of "we suck it's Dolan's fault". But you still can't seem to answer this question, what would you or what could have Dolan done differently over the last 10-15 years that would make us a championship team right now? Draft curry? Not a single person in the world predicted steph being as good as he is.

Seems like other posters are starting to realize u can't really blame this on Dolan. Maybe u need to come around too?

Why do you keep talking about championships? We haven't even been mediocre! We have been downright horrible!

What's wrong with you man? Have you been in a coma for 20 years? Or do you think losing and losing badly every year is actually normal for a professional team?

Guess you're not going to answer my question then? Man all I'm saying is that yea it sucks we've been bad for so long but it ain't all dolans fault and I still haven't heard a solid/specific reason as to why it is his fault. Please enlighten me

Huh?

You're seriously asking why the guy who is responsible for hiring every single employee on the team, responsible for the media policies of the team, responsible for feuds with former Knicks, responsible for every single aspect of the franchise as the man who signs the checks is actually not culpable of any blame?

What am I not answering? This is common sense that you're throwing out the window.

[Rotten Apple]

I'm trying to think of a terrible owner who's won a championship in the 4 major sports, Dolan got close with the Rangers but poor ownership doesn't win titles it seems.

[Knicksfan20]

No coincidence ever since he took over, the team has gone to ****. He is cursed with bad juju

[aq_ua]

to the departure of Marv Albert

I'm with you most of the way except for there. He was a nut job and also fired from NBC, so not Dolan's fault there.

[Dr. Detfink]

People think James Dolan is the worst owner. Wrong. He's a terrible owner for sure but he's no more an A-hole than the owner of the Bulls, Warriors, Clippers (former owner), Heat, Cavs...the difference being those Franchises drafted their transcendent superstar like Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade or in the case of the Clippers got Chris Paul thanks to David Stern hating the Lakers. Those one of a kind players attracted great players and inspired them to play harder.

The Knicks are just a hard luck franchise. We're the pre-Theo Epstein Red Sox. No seriously. No storied franchise has shot itself in the foot by either drafting poorly, bungling free agency, hiring terrible coaches and/or serious injuries.

[dakomish23]

I'm trying to think of a terrible owner who's won a championship in the 4 major sports, Dolan got close with the Rangers but poor ownership doesn't titles it seems.

Ownership sucks but our current FO hasn't exactly knocked it out the park. If anything, I hold Dolan responsible for banishing Walsh and Grunwald.

[Rotten Apple]

I'm trying to think of a terrible owner who's won a championship in the 4 major sports, Dolan got close with the Rangers but poor ownership doesn't titles it seems.

Ownership sucks but our current FO hasn't exactly knocked it out the park. If anything, I hold Dolan responsible for banishing Walsh and Grunwald.

Yeah Phil hasn't done much of anything in terms to what he promised and what was expected of him. And now Dolan enabling him even more is just sad.

Grunweld is the best GM we've had in years, Woody is also the best coach. That Bargs trade really hurt them unfortunately and then Mills came back out of nowhere.

I just don't see this team winning a championship with Dolan at the top, dude is likely to drop the trophy if he ever held it.

[Appleshampoo]

James Dolan’s culture of fear has ruined Madison Square Garden - NY POST Phil Mushnick

http://nypost.com/2017/02/12/james-dolans-culture-of-fear-has-ruined-madison-square-garden/

Everything that happens here, the Oakley incident, the Isiah harassment case, the banishment of good people, can all be attributed to this smiley owner's toxic personality and management.

A few quotes from the article:

Examples: I planned to write a nice note about the birth of a child to an MSG employee. He was thrilled. But then he called to beg that I not write it lest Dolan think we have “a relationship,” that he be thought of as “a leak.”

For years, I’d regularly swapped calls — and jokes — with a veteran MSG Network on-air talent whom I’d known, and well, since 1977. Then, while preparing a column on his successes, he suddenly cut off all contact; such attention would only cause Dolan to suspect him of treason. I haven’t spoken with him since.

In 2003, Dolan made a smart hire, Seth Abraham, the dignified, amiable and highly effective ex-president of HBO Sports, as head of Garden operations — one in a continuing series.

Within a few months, Abraham was out; Dolan had hired him to obey his orders, not to give suggestions or advice.

There will be no consistent good hires and good decision making so long as his slime covers our team.

[dakomish23]

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[MP4LIFE]

Silver needs to just frame Dolan and have him removed. It's the only way.

[SelbyCobra]

Bumping this as a Dolan catch-all. Seriously, f*ck James Dolan. He edges closer and closer to Donald Sterling every day. Hopefully he is similarly ousted before I die. I love his willingness to spend money, but that huge plus doesn't matter if you're such a horrible human being that the value of your money is immensely diminished - or non-existent - on the market.

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[Traveyknicks23]

Bumping this as a Dolan catch-all. Seriously, f*ck James Dolan. He edges closer and closer to Donald Sterling every day. Hopefully he is similarly ousted before I die. I love his willingness to spend money, but that huge plus doesn't matter if you're such a horrible human being that the value of your money is immensely diminished - or non-existent - on the market.

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Stop falling for the okie doke man he ain’t no where close to sterling and you know it to be true as well I get you frustrated but back when we had a black players coach and all black front office where we these free agents then? Why weren’t they lining up then since color matters now???? They are full of **** bro

[SelbyCobra]

I agree Dolan isn't as bad as Sterling because he's not as careless and blatant, but he's in the same vain to me. That's why I said he's edging closer and closer to Sterling with the latest say-it-without-saying-it press release. Ultra-rich, older white man dripping in white supremacy who refuses to do anything other than what he wants - even if it's to give the appearance of basic human decency - because he doesn't have or want to.

The okie-doke in this case was thinking that Dolan hiring black executives would cover the stench of his Trump-like attitude, policies, and practices. The man is a big supporter of Trump's presidency and as such refuses to truly acknowledge or embrace the severity of the blatant racial tumult this country is experiencing right now. He couldn't even say black lives matter in a press release for a cornerstone team of a league that is 75% black.

Because he doesn't want to and doesn't have to. He's a racist piece of sh*t plantation owner. He hires and befriends black men who will do his bidding and give him cover - they're just convenient props to him. It certainly felt good in the moment as a fan, but I see it as just another charade from Dolan.

[Sark]

Ok, Dolan isn't worse than the worst owner of all time. Grats. Amazing achievement. Bravo.

[Sark]

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[Zenzibar]

In another light, James Dolan has done more to open doors to high level executive positions for African Americans than any owner in ANY sport.

AND as far as Caron Butler, where the fk was Caron Butler when Colin Kaepernick was kneeling? Why did he not call out Lebron, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Giannis, Lillard and other top stars of the NBA for not following suit and supporting Colin at that moment, when he needed it most? Perhaps, just maybe, it would have made more of a difference then and get let this change moving quicker. But Kaepernick knelt alone except for a courageous few.

But Caron Butler remained silent then and therefore he needs to look into his own Life to determine if he himself fell short. It's easy now to sit on a perch and target others, while he, Caron Butler remains unquestioned.

[Barcs]

I don't think Dolan is racist, but he IS a multiple time Trump campaign donor. That is by far the most likely reason he was hesitant to put out a statement or say that black lives matter. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either way he contradicts himself by taking a side in this. He's done quite a bit for people of color in his executive and coaching hires, so while he's a huge hypocrite and a greedy authoritarian narcissistic prick, I doubt he's actually racist.

I do know that Dolan's crappy PR and terrible hiring decisions are going to cause the Knicks to miss out on many superstars for years to come. Not that this is anything new. Black or white, Dolan has mostly made horrible upper management hires over the years. That cannot be denied. I wish he were found out as racist so we'd have an excuse to force him to sell, though.

[Fat Kat]

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[Kampuchea]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/258855/Several-Black-Execs-Players-Agents-Found-Knicks-Response-To-BLM-Disconcerting

The New York Knicks were slow to respond to the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that swept the world.

The Knicks issued a two-sentence statement, on June 9: "Every one of us has a role to play in creating a more just and equal society, where there is no racism, bigotry, violence or hate. We stand with all who act for positive change."

A number of Black executives, players, agents and others around the league who spoke to Bleacher Report found the Knicks' response disconcerting.

"If you're going to have a diverse employment force, then in this situation you've got to represent them and speak out against this," said a Black team executive who has worked in the league for more than 20 years. "Otherwise, you're sending a message to them that you're ambivalent about it. Now you allow yourself to be questioned. And by the time you do come out and say it, then people doubt your sincerity."

"How hard is it to put out a statement?" said one agent from a high-profile firm. "What's going to be really interesting is the players that truly matter, the ones that are the upper echelon of the league, when they are free agents, how are they going to look at this?"

The same agent also said his clients were "flabbergasted" with the silence from the Knicks on the Black Lives Matter movement.

At least one key rotation player told team officials he "definitely wasn't happy with the Knicks" remaining silent on Floyd, according to a source who does business with the team. "I know there are others upset about it," he said.

Some have defended Dolan's record on race by noting how often he has hired Black executives from Isiah Thomas and Anucha Browne Sanders to Steve Mills, Scott Perry and Craig Robinson.

"He's always done right by Black people," said a former Garden employee who is Black. "Does it make up for the poor response? Not necessarily."