James Dolan

Atlantic Notes: Mills, Woodson, Rondo

April 10th, 2014 at 10:53pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier today, we were given an early peek at Steve Mills’ interview with Spike Lee on XM Radio via ESPN New York, where the Knicks GM said that he and team president Phil Jackson could “do something special” while working together. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News weighed-in on the interview, passing along that Mills’ original plan upon being hired was to hire someone to run day-to-day basketball operations while then focusing on the business side of things. Ironically, Mills is now operating under the direction of a basketball executive.

Here’s what else we’ve gathered out of the Atlantic Division, including more from Isola:

During the interview, Mills claimed that he gave up his title as president and retained his title as general manager once Jackson was hired, which implies that Mills had a choice in the matter, opines Isola.
Isola says it’s unclear if Jackson still plans to hire his own personnel guy and what that could mean for Mills. Mills has suggested that his strengths lie in his relationships with players and agents, though Isola wonders how that will mesh with Jackson plans. The Knicks president recently told the media that he doesn’t plan to work as closely with agents or any one agency as the team had done in recent years.
One source tells Isola that Mills was prepared to make a coaching change on several occasions this season; Mike Woodson was ultimately kept on board because the team had either gone on a winning streak or owner James Dolan decided to overrule Mills.
Celtics guard Rajon Rondo hasn’t asked management to inform him about personnel decisions, but he told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he’d like to know what direction the team is going in: “I want to be aware of what’s going on, especially if I’m part of the future here…And being the point guard, I would like to know what the team has in store or wants to do or the moves they want to make. I think I’ll be around in Boston this summer and I’ll look forward to what’s going to happen. I’m very excited.”
This offseason, Boston will have plenty of available assets at their disposal to make significant moves, details Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston.

Jackson On Shumpert, Defense, Coaching

April 3rd, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier today, we relayed some noteworthy comments from Phil Jackson about his willingness to do away with ties between the Knicks and Creative Artists Agency as well as his insistence that he won’t return to coaching. During his media session, the Zen master also praised Mike Woodson for how he’s handled the speculation about his future and shared more about the team’s recent performance. Here are a few more interesting things to relay from Jackson, transcribed by Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York:

On Iman Shumpert about what will be expected from him:

“I’m still a coach that believes in pressure, pressure defense, playing like we saw the Knicks play last night — anticipation, turnovers become run-outs…I was able to tell Iman today that’s what has to be seen on a basis that we’d like to see from game to game…It might not happen every game, but those are the things that break games open and give you opportunities to win when you have easy baskets. And defense can do that, so that’s a really important aspect.”

On the team’s defense:

“I think (Mike Woodson) has a philosophy,..It’s worked for him in the past. It’s worked for him in Atlanta. The big thing is you’ve got to have players buy into it. They have to believe in it…I think one of the reasons why they’ve been successful in the last month-and-a-half, whatever this run has been, has been their defense has improved…Mike likes to switch with bigs a lot of times and ends up rotating from the other side of the court, trying to get bigs on bigs and smalls on smalls. You know, that’s his style. Players have to buy into it. That’s what coaching is about.”

On whether or not he still gets the urge to coach:

“No, I don’t, but I do know that I can’t be too vocal about what I see going on all the time out there…If a flagrant foul happens, or there’s a couple of situations out there (that is) beyond the level of what is legitimate basketball, and I want to give my voice and my opinion to the referees, I don’t want to do that.”

On not traveling with the team for road games:

“My job is not to travel with the team…Mike is in control of this team, he’s the coach, he’s got that sculpt ahead of him, he knows what he is doing on the road. (Steve Mills) has chosen to go out there, and maybe (James Dolan) encouraged him to go out there…Steve has been away from the game a while so maybe that associated him back with the game…So he has traveled with the team but I don’t see general managers going on the road. However, in playoff situations, yes, I will be there at all games.”

Knicks Rumors: Dolan, Mills, Jackson

March 19th, 2014 at 12:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks owner James Dolan might have won brownie points with Knicks fans Tuesday when he introduced Phil Jackson as team president and perhaps made more public statements in a single day than in the last seven years combined. Still, he made it clear that he’s not primarily interested in popularity as he spoke on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN New York 98.7 FM. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com has the transcription.

“My goal isn’t to be loved,” Dolan said. “My goal is to win.”

The owner hasn’t accomplished that goal this season, but there’s plenty more behind-the-scenes intel on what Dolan’s doing to have more success in seasons to come, as we detail in our latest look at the Knicks:

Scott Cacciola of The New York Times provides a revelatory look at Dolan’s pursuit of Jackson. Steve Mills was heavily involved, as Cacciola describes, even though Mills wound up ceding his title of team president to Jackson.
Irving Azoff, the manager of the Eagles, did much more than merely introduce Dolan and Jackson, as Cacciola reveals in his piece. Azoff is gaining power within Madison Square Garden and is emerging as Dolan’s most trusted confidant, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News observes (Twitter link).
Isola suggests Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley as possible additions to the Knicks organization, though it’s unclear what roles they would play.
Dolan doesn’t think Jackson will ever end up coaching the Knicks, as he said during his radio appearance with Kay, but Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News isn’t buying it.

Knicks Links: Dolan, Carmelo, Jackson

March 18th, 2014 at 6:31pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Knicks owner James Dolan joined Michael Kay and Don La Greca on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 98.7 FM earlier today, and when asked about the team’s 2013/14 season, the Knicks owner responded that he’s been “horrified” (Neil Best of Newsday relays via Twitter). New York hopes that Phil Jackson‘s stewardship as president of basketball operations will bring a significant step towards success, as Dolan likened hiring Jackson to “…bringing in Albert Einstein to do your math homework.”

Later on during his radio appearance, the Knicks owner also reiterated that Jackson has full power over basketball decisions. The most important decision arguably involves Carmelo Anthony‘s future, and interestingly enough, Dolan added that if Jackson were to allow Carmelo to leave this summer, he’d give his blessing: “It’s (Phil’s) decision, that’s my agreement with him” (Twitter links via ESPN New York’s Ian Begley).

Here’s the latest out of the Big Apple, including more from Begley:

When he had been tied to the potential GM opening in Seattle last year, Jackson previously convinced Steve Kerr to become the team’s head coach; those plans fell through once the purchase agreement of the Kings fell apart, reports Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo Sports.
Dolan attempted to dispel speculation that Jackson would eventually coach the Knicks, telling Kay: “At the moment, it’s not in the cards.”
Based on his early assessment of the roster, Jackson reportedly likes Carmelo, Tyson Chandler, Iman Shumpert, and Cole Aldrich, a source tells Begley. Jackson also likes the youth of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Toure’ Murry.
Jackson also dropped in on The Michael Kay Show later on, saying that there’s “hope and strong reason” that Carmelo would re-sign with the Knicks.
Per source, Jackson is strongly committed to implementing the triangle offense and will shape the roster with that in mind, adds Begley.
Steve Mills sat silently for more than 45 minutes during Jackson’s introductory press conference, notes Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. Per Botte, NBA sources initially expected Jackson to consider bringing in another general manager to handle day-to-day work with Mills, specifically involving trade calls and talks with agents.
Dolan told Michael Kay that his relationship with former Knicks GM Isiah Thomas doesn’t involve discussions about basketball, relays Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.

Broussard On Jackson, Dolan, Mills

March 11th, 2014 at 7:11pm CST by Ryan Raroque

ESPN’s Chris Broussard was a guest on 98.7 ESPN’s The Michael Kay Show earlier today to share a few noteworthy points on Phil Jackson and the current state of the Knicks. In addition to reiterating an earlier report that an announcement of a finalized deal between New York and Jackson may not come until next week, Broussard further touched base on the possible impact Phil will have on Steve Mills’ position in the organization, if the Lakers are also in play for Phil’s services, and what this process means as it relates to Carmelo Anthony‘s future. You can read more from Broussard’s radio interview with Don Le Greca and Dave Rothenberg (filling in for Kay) below.

On James Dolan’s ‘meddling’, the strict media policy, and if Jackson understands how those factor into accepting a position with the Knicks:

“From what I understand, Dolan will still be Dolan…Phil’s going to be the final say guy in terms of basketball operations, but Dolan still owns the team…everything that’s done (he’ll have to approve at the end of the day), but as far as dealing with the media, we saw that Isiah Thomas had a lot of freedom to talk with the media and to do things, and he got that because he was a superstar…we know that Dolan likes superstars, (and) Phil Jackson is a superstar. So, I think (Phil) will get the freedom to run the team the way he wants to…and we know Phil, he’s a guy who likes to deal with the media; he’s a guy who likes to manipulate (situations) through the media and I think to a large degree, maybe not to the degree he has in the past, he’ll still be able to do that.”

On what Jackson’s presence as a decision-maker would mean for Steve Mills:

“Mills will still be in the organization at a high level…whether or not he’s in the basketball department or more business, he will still be in the organization at a high level…(I’m) not exactly sure what his title will be, I’m not (even) exactly sure what Phil’s title will be at this point…but Mills is not losing his job, and I think there’s a good chance that he’ll still be in the basketball department.”

On the possibility that Jackson is using the Knicks to get the same type of offer from the Lakers or elsewhere:

“(It has) definitely been speculated about around the league, and I think with good reason just because we know Phil loves the Lakers and obviously (because of) his history with them, but (I’m told) there is no way that he and Jim Buss are going to reconcile…there’s just too much division between those guys…one person told me today that if it was going to happen it would have already happened…I don’t see (Phil holding out for an L.A. offer) being the case.

I know the Knicks’ feeling is that they are not being used…obviously until you have Phil Jackson’s signature, you can’t say that this thing is 100% done, but the Knicks are very confident that it’s going to happen, they’re very confident that Phil wants the position, and (that) he’s not using them. It would be a shocker if Phil Jackson ended up going up with another team, obviously it would have been a shrewd move on this part…but (New York doesn’t) have any feeling or any inclination at this point that that’s the case.”

On what this all means for Carmelo Anthony and his future in New York:

“…’Melo genuinely likes playing here, he likes what playing in New York has afforded him, and there’s a part of him that would love to stay. He doesn’t want to be a bad team the rest of his career, but bringing in a Phil Jackson gives you a better opportunity to bring in top-level free agents here with you in 2015…(Phil) called Carmelo a terrific player – that’s a direct quote – and said ‘he can compete for championships if he makes a few tweaks here and there’…so I would think that Phil, judging from that statement last year, would be excited about having a Carmelo Anthony there, and that him being excited about it would certainly have a lot of impact on ‘Melo…It certainly enhances the Knicks’ chances of keeping him…you can’t say 100%, but there’s a good possibility of that.”

On Mike Woodson and if he can use the remainder of this season coach his way into being an option for Phil Jackson next year:

“That’s hard to see. I think they’d have to have some type of miracle run in the playoffs…barring that, I don’t see any type of great run for the Knicks in the playoffs if they get there…I think they’re going to have a new coach. You would think it’s going to be somebody that wants to run the triangle.

I know the Knicks and Phil haven’t gone too deeply into who would coach the team…I know Carmelo does like Mike Woodson, but I think at the end of the day you’re going to see a new coach here…even though a guy like Steve Mills and Allan Houston will remain in the organization, Phil is going to do some degree of house cleaning, and I think Mike Woodson will be (let go in that process).”

Eastern Notes: Magic, Cavs, Knicks

February 11th, 2014 at 6:55pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Magic GM Rob Hennigan tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that he’s not actively looking to pursue deals right now: “We’re exploring all options that may improve our team…But in terms of aggressively, actively trying to do something? I would say no [we’re not].”

In that same piece however, Robbins adds that Orlando could make at least one move before the deadline, and much of the trade speculation has revolved around Arron Afflalo, Jameer Nelson, and Glen Davis. Afflalo – whose 19.6 PPG and 5.0 FTA this season represent career bests – is likely drawing the most interest at this point.

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference this evening:

Looking at what he calls a “mess” in Cleveland, Ric Bucher of the Bleacher Report revisits some of the Cavaliers’ roster decisions since Kyrie Irving‘s arrival in order to describe how they got to this point, including their decision to bypass Jonas Valanciunas in the 2011 draft, hiring Mike Brown, and failing to provide a veteran mentor for Irving. In spite of this, he believes there’s still time to right the ship, especially if the front office- led by interim GM David Griffin – can piece together a roster that compliments rather than saddles Irving.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News doesn’t buy speculation about Knicks owner James Dolan considering a Carmelo Anthony trade to the Bulls, and thinks that the seven-time All-Star will ultimately stay in New York beyond this summer. Even if Anthony were to bolt, Isola doesn’t believe it’d be the end of the world; with Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler coming off the books in 2015, New York could target a star like Kevin Durant with their ample cap space (All Twitter links).
ESPN New York’s Ian Begley weighs in on the rumblings surrounding Iman Shumpert and Kenneth Faried from the Knicks’ persepctive, saying that acquiring Faried – though he’d be a plus – doesn’t address their backcourt needs and cuts into their 2015 cap flexibility.
As for the Wizards’ reported interest in Beno Udrih, Begley notes that a one-for-one swap for either Glen Rice Jr. or Al Harrington is feasible, but only from a salary-matching standpoint. Regardless, I think Begley would agree that Washington probably wouldn’t be open to giving up a 23-year-old prospect like Rice Jr. in order to solely acquire a 31-year-old backup point guard.

Latest On Kyle Lowry

December 12th, 2013 at 8:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:36pm: According to Wojnarowski, Knicks owner James Dolan is sensitive to the public perception that GM Masai Ujiri “bamboozled” him in the Carmelo Anthony trade, and the chance of getting criticized for giving up too much in a deal for Lowry has become a hurdle in these talks. Toronto is said to be discussing deals for Lowry with an ever-growing list of teams.

Wojnarwoski adds that New York doesn’t want to include either Shumpert or Hardaway Jr. in discussions (they reportedly refused a proposal involving the former along with Felton), and without Shumpert or a draft pick going to Toronto, there isn’t any traction to a deal. Also, the Knicks are believed to still be hesitant about trading a future first round draft choice to the Raptors, and there seems to be doubt over how long they’ll keep that option on the table.

As for the Nets’ interest, Wojnarowski says the team isn’t willing to include either a 2020 first-round pick or one of its young players – including Mason Plumlee – in a trade package.

4:03pm: Toronto is insisting on a first-rounder from the Knicks in part because taking on Felton would leave the Raptors with more long-term money, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Felton’s deal runs through 2015/16, which is a player option year, while Lowry is on an expiring contract. The Knicks would like to save Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. for another deal, Stein adds (Twitter links). The Raptors are seeking two out of three assets from the Knicks: Shumpert, Hardaway, or a first-rounder, Stein tweets.

3:46pm: The Knicks are refusing to give up a first-round pick, and that’s gumming up the talks between the two teams, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.

3:24pm: The Nets represent the strongest competition to the Knicks for Kyle Lowry among an “ever-growing list of teams” going after the Raptors point guard, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. New York’s latest offer includes Metta World Peace and a 2018 first-round draft pick to go with Raymond Felton, according to Wojnarowski, who indicates that the Knicks are wavering on their willingness to include the pick.

The Raptors are reportedly asking for a quality young player or a first-round pick, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who says the price could be too high for Brooklyn’s tastes (Twitter link). Still, Brooklyn’s interest is legitimate, Mannix writes, and Wojnarowski hears the Raptors are investigating Bojan Bogdanovic, a former second-round pick whose rights the Nets hold.

Lowry is apparently interested in heading to New York, and Wojnarowski says he’s spent most of the season hoping for a trade out of Toronto. The Warriors are another team with interest in Lowry, but the odds that the Warriors land him are “very very slim,” according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, who doesn’t think Golden State has much to offer the Raptors (Twitter links). Lowry has fans in the Timberwolves front office, but the team doesn’t have enough assets or financial flexibility, and isn’t in the mix for the point guard, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter).

The Knicks can’t trade World Peace until Sunday, since he signed a contract this past offseason. The Raptors would probably buy him out of his two-year, approximately $3.5MM deal if they traded for him, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

New York Notes: Knicks, Nets, JVG, Carmelo

December 5th, 2013 at 5:44pm CST by Ryan Raroque

We’re less than an hour before tip-off between the Atlantic Division’s cellar dwelling Knicks and Nets, and despite both teams’ struggles to start the season, one of the two will be able to avoid sinking further for now with a win tonight. Here’s some of the latest out of Manhattan and Brooklyn:

SB Nation’s Tom Ziller goes into detail about what’s ailing the Knicks and Nets, how both teams should fare over the course of the season, and what may be in store if things continue to go poorly.
To those who doubt that Knicks owner James Dolan would be willing to work with Jeff Van Gundy again after the latter’s abrupt in-season exit over a decade ago, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reminds us that in April 2008, Van Gundy had been considered for the the head coaching job by then-team executive Donnie Walsh. Isola also states that Dolan approved of the team’s interest in Van Gundy back then as well, although the former head coach would later tell Walsh that he wasn’t interested (Twitter links).
Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld ponders what the current trade market for Carmelo Anthony is, and, considering that the Knicks star has the option to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and/or won’t necessarily have to commit long-term elsewhere if traded, argues that the team will have no other choice but to explore low-ball offers at this point.
Following last season’s team exit interview, Mike Woodson was under the impression that Jason Kidd would be returning for another season with the Knicks, and was caught off-guard by the 40-year-old point guard’s retirement: “Absolutely I thought he was coming back…I did. I was surprised. Jason spent a long time in this league. He has the right to retire and move on. Obviously he had something else going and wound up here as a head coach. We would’ve loved to have him back. It wasn’t the case” (Marc Berman of the New York Post via Sulia).

James Dolan Talks Woodson, Isiah, Amar’e

November 22nd, 2013 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t speak to the media often, but amidst his team’s 3-8 start to the 2013/14 season, he sat down with Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post for a Q&A. While there was no mention of the Knicks’ peculiar decision to keep Chris Smith on the roster, or any discussion of Carmelo Anthony‘s long-term future, Dolan did provide a few comments on topics of interest. Let’s round up a few of the highlights….

On whether Mike Woodson‘s job is safe:

“I have a lot of confidence in Woodson, and one thing I can say about Mike is he has the respect of all the players. They all respect him. And he treats them fairly and relatively equally, and that’s part of where the respect emanates from. And those are hard things to get from a coach. When a coach loses a team… that’s when a coach is kind of done.”

On comparing this year’s team to last year’s squad, which started off 18-5:

“You know what? I wouldn’t take last year’s team for this year’s team, because this year’s team is more designed to be a playoff team, whereas last year’s team was 18-5 but look who was playing: we had Rasheed Wallace who was doing everything for us, right? And we just started losing player after player… by the time we got to the playoffs that 18-5 team wasn’t the team that was playing in the playoffs. If they were I think we would’ve beaten Indiana.”

On replacing GM Glen Grunwald with Steve Mills just before camp got underway:

“I didn’t time it, per se, like that. I’m surprised other folks were surprised about this. The general manager’s work doesn’t really occur at that time of year. If you’re going to change general managers that’s probably the right time to do it. The next available trade date is December 15th¹. You’ve just finished free agency and all that. It’s a lull period. The timing didn’t really have much to do with that.”

On whether he’d ever bring back Isiah Thomas:

“Do I think he deserves another shot? Yeah. It just can’t be here. And I think he’s talented. I think he’s particularly talented at finding basketball talent. But I think he’s probably dismayed at this point. But I don’t see him coming back to New York. I couldn’t do that to him, and I couldn’t do that to the organization. He would probably do it as my friend, but I couldn’t do it to him or his family. And you know what the press would do here. We’re interested in getting better and that situation would be such a distraction that it would actually hinder our ability to get better.”

On whether he’d like a mulligan on signing Amar’e Stoudemire:

“Nope…. We would not be where we are today without Amar’e. That summer, the summer of “The Decision,” there were a whole bunch of free agents, and the guys put their thing together in Miami, and Amar’e agreed to come to the Knicks, gave us a launch pad by which we could convince the other guys like Tyson [Chandler] to come, and ultimately Carmelo to come play with us. Do I think Carmelo would have come if we didn’t have Amar’e? No, I don’t think he would’ve. These free agents, when you get to this level of player — the Carmelos, the LeBrons, the Durants — the first thing they want before the money or anything else is to be on a winning team. They’ve got to believe they have a shot.”

¹ Trades can be made prior to December 15th, but most players signed this offseason can’t be dealt until after that date.