Knicks owner James Dolan was caught on video last Saturday at Madison Square Garden, confronting a fan who demanded he sell the franchise. The brief confrontation resulted in Dolan ejecting the fan from the arena and subsequently banning him from the venue.
The incident encapsulated a rough recent stretch for Dolan, the owner of the worst team in the NBA this season. Dolan has battled demands that he sell the Knicks and rumors that he’s considering it, defended his decision to ban New York Daily News reporters, and faced criticism for his stewardship of the franchise.
During an appearance on The Michael Kay Show on Tuesday, Dolan addressed the incident with the fan, his intentions with the team moving forward, and expectations for a major splash in free agency this summer.
Check out some of the highlights below:
On the incident with a fan at Madison Square Garden over the weekend…
“I do understand for the fans it’s about winning and losing and we haven’t been doing much winning. And there’s a real big frustration level there. We get it. I don’t like losing either. If you want to go right into [Saturday’s] incident, it’s pretty easy.
“It appears this gentleman and his friends planned to do this. Just before the game they cleared their profiles out. We have video which shows them moving from one side of the arena to the other and pointing at me, where I was walking, to set this ambush up and they did. As soon as they were done with it, it was immediately sold to TMZ. Not for nothing, I shouldn’t have taken the bait. I will say we had just lost, again, and believe it or not I get frustrated with it, too. … I don’t mind. You hear all kinds of stuff, but what is a problem is when someone becomes confrontational. These people clearly were there for a confrontation.”
On rumors of Dolan considering selling the Knicks…
“Just for the record, I am not selling the team. I am not quitting and neither is [president] Steve [Mills], neither is [GM] Scott [Perry] and neither are any of the players.”
On whether he thinks the Knicks will do well in free agency…
“Yes, I do think that. I think we offer a pretty good situation for [to acquire free agents]. One is a lot of them love New York, a bunch of them live in New York in the offseason. They know the team, they know [head coach David Fizdale] really well, they know [Mills] and [Perry]. Players want to go to a winner and they want to get paid. We’re definitely going to pay them. We think with them combined and the kids we’ve got today, we can build a winning team.”
Other side of the arena? He walked 1 section over. I mean if you’re a fatty… that may seem like he walked a mile to “ambush”. So you’re telling me that if his seats were adjacent to the exit tunnel it would not have been an ambush? That’s the logic he’s spitting out. The only reason it was immediately sold to TMZ is b/c Dolan banned him from games plain & simple.
Are kids ambushing players when they do the same thing for an autograph? If so, they should be ejected and never permitted back into the arena for ambushing them.
I think you could fine Dolan for public comments detrimental to the NBA a la the Cuban tanking comment. This just looks bad after the Oakley incident too.
Knicks have zero players wroth getting an autograph from. So Dolan probably wouldn’t understand the concept.
I’d take a Knox autograph…CATS.
Dennis Smith
Dolan banning him for life proves what a joke he is The fan didnt threaten him. It only proves the fan right
Dolan is the single most embarrassment of any owner in all of pro sports….oh sorry maybe Kratz but at least he summoned a message parlor employee rather than evict a paying customer who pays and supports the god awful team called the knicks
Hey Dolan pens the Rangers also they are a great organization. Oh wait the have been run into the ground as well……
The Rangers are still the most valuable NHL franchise, just as the Knicks are tops in the NBA.
Jerry Jones is up there too.
Dan Snyder.
Dolan just seems like a little crybaby who wants to be the victim here
Sell the team
That comment just banned you from MSG for life. Say it again and your family is banned as well.
Clown
without the ability to turn-back would you trade lives with dolan? act, talk and smile like a freak
Douche
This guy is flat out delusional first off the players they are targeting do not spend their off-season is in New York they spend it in California. He says what a great environment it is there can he not see how toxic the environment is and the players they are targeting do not want to go somewhere and deal with this drama. Leonard, Irving, Durrant as well as Butler do not want to deal with this crap they are not getting any of those guys there hope of getting a big-time player is winning the lottery and getting Williamson if they don’t win the lottery they will have to settle on second tier free agent.
Dolan needs to pack up his vanity garbage band and fake horse teeth and sell the team.
Get a horse, move the the mountains and never talk to anyone again if you can’t take peoples opinions. Sell the team ya joker
Small man
Dolan is delusional