[Sports Illustrated] Knicks Owner James Dolan Wants You to Believe He’s the Victim in Fan ‘Ambush’ (Wednesday, March 13, 2019 8:32:34 AM)
A fan told James Dolan to “sell the team” and he reacted by banning the man and playing all of his latest hits in a recent radio interview. The beleaguered Knicks owner’s attempt to explain himself really just reminded us how far the team has fallen.
(Wednesday, March 13, 2019 7:50:00 PM)
Kristaps Porzingis is back on the court in full form.
Still reveling in the culture the Knicks never afforded him, Porzingis on Wednesday took part in his first full practice in over a year.
“I’ve been getting the itch to get back on the court,” a glowing Porzingis told TNT on Tuesday night. “And…
(Wednesday, March 13, 2019 10:20:30 PM)
It has nearly been a month since the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks in the biggest blockbuster deal of the NBA trade deadline. And though Porzingis hasn’t talked about the whole situation yet, he did talk about wanting to get back on the court.
(Wednesday, March 13, 2019 10:30:55 AM)
As Kristaps Porzingis prepares for his first full five-on-five practice since tearing his ACL last year, the ex-Knick praised the Mavericks organization while taking a shot at his former team.
(Wednesday, March 13, 2019 9:48:46 AM)
The Knicks are no sure bet to lure big-ticket free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to New York this summer, and according to one longtime NBA executive, the reason is James Dolan.
(Wednesday, March 13, 2019 7:26:41 PM)
SAN ANTONIO — Some players in the Knicks locker room have jokingly nicknamed their rookie center “Mercedes Mitch.’’ Mitchell Robinson, a car fanatic and amateur mechanic, recently inked an endorsement deal with Mercedes-Benz, which gave him a vehicle with which to play around. “It’s fast,’’ Robinson said. Knicks coach David Fizdale calls his rising prospect…
(Wednesday, March 13, 2019 4:32:30 PM)
Former Knicks star Charles Oakley wants a federal judge to watch the recent video of team owner James Dolan booting a heckler from Madison Square Garden. In court papers filed Wednesday, Oakley says the cellphone recording of last week’s incident is “germane” to a pending motion by Dolan to dismiss Oakley’s suit over getting thrown…
(Wednesday, March 13, 2019 10:03:11 AM)
Kevin Durant’s agent, after the news broke Tuesday night, tweeted: “I’m done!” Rich Kleiman, longtime Knicks fan and native New Yorker, wasn’t referring to James Dolan’s 50-minute radio appearance. It was about Odell Beckham Jr. On Tuesday, Dolan didn’t trade Beckham nor did he sign Le’Veon Bell. But the Knicks owner hinted he had inside…
86 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2019.03.14)”
If I was a fan @ MSG I would be more likely to yell “Free Kadeem!”. However if I did yell “Sell the team!” and James Dolan approached me, I would immediately apologize. I would have said “I’m sorry, that was rude…I’m very sorry, I will not do that again”.
I think the fan was banned b/c he didn’t apologize. He didn’t treat James Dolan with common courtesy that we all deserve. It’s okay for fans to jeer but when players (Westbrook) and owners (Dolan) become people then they deserve to be treated with respect, as we all deserve to be treated with respect.
I think this is one of those stories where the media cares about it a whole lot more than the people they’re reporting it to. They want this to be a big deal, but no one gives a damn.
James Dolan is a thin-skinned little man-baby, and he obviously surrounds himself with sycophants who tell him how cool he is all the time. He uses his wealth and connections to foist his shitty vanity music project on unwitting audiences who are just trying to watch an Eagles concert. He is such an insecure sniveling turd that he can’t take it when somebody heckles him with a rather benign “sell the team” remark.
I hope he realizes that the world considers him to be a moron, and that it really bothers him.
If you’re in earshot of James Dolan, saying “sell the team” shows an impressive amount of restraint.
James Dolan was held civilly accountable for egregious sexual harassment against one of his executives to the tune of $11.6M and then instated the sexual harrasser as the team president for his WNBA team.
Forgive me if I’m not worried about Dolan being heckled by an otherwise-powerless man in the stands.
I really wanted to make a joke about Dallas’ terrible history of sexual harassment and domestic violence yesterday when Porzingis proclaimed “there’s definitely a culture here, you can feel it.” But alas, I knew it would ring hollow because of our own shameful past.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/3/14/18265055/james-dolan-new-york-knicks-kyrie-durant
I don’t think it’s out of bounds to yell that at the owner.
Dolan just got heckled by a fan of the team. A paying fan. A paying fan who said nothing out of line like the Utah fan allegedly did to Westbrook. There’s a difference. We’ve seen these threats by Dolan before. He should get over himself. Appreciation and dissatisfaction from fans comes with the job. That fan was dissatisfied with Dolan’s tenure and voiced said dissatisfaction by saying “sell the team”. This is clearly Dolan bullshit at it’s best. Sure, he’s within his right to say “you don’t like the team? Stop watching”. But to ban a fan for voicing displeasure when he didn’t attack you personally is way over the top. Dolan should not be defended, supported, or understood in this. I don’t give a flying fuck if the guy walked a few rules to say sell the team. We’ve all seen the video. He plainly said sell the team. Not “sell the f’n team you short, dickless alcoholic, shit for brains, non singin bitch ass!”
LOL
Sorry for the vulgarity, just trying to illustrate the point
*walked a few rows
I swear autocorrect is stupid sometimes lol
I’m more concerned about Dolan’s comment that the Knicks ARE going to be signing some big name free agents this offseason.
No matter what? If KD does not come here, then they should punt and rent cap space for more picks, not sign someone like Boogie to a max deal. Like the Jets signing an ILB for $17m per year. Sure, he’s a good player, but that’s a big overpay on a team with so many holes, esp. trash OL.
Guys, I figured out how The Knicks can become contenders again!
We just get James Dolan to sit court side at every home game and wait for the best players on the opposing team to heckle him. Then Boom! Ban them from MSG. We can make The Garden the most feared place to play in the NBA again. Just gotta get home court advantage for the playoffs.
Is Dolan really THAT much bigger of a douchebag than Joe Lacob, though?
Yeah, banning this dude is crazy. If he was yelling obscenities non stop at him or threatening him, then I think a ban is in line. I think heckling is stupid but its part of sports and always have been. He needs to get over himself or, you know, just stay in the luxury box.
No, they’re both incredible douchebags. The difference is Lacob is a smart, arrogant asshole and Dolan is a dumb, arrogant asshole.
Wow, Bill Simmons commissioned another hit piece. I’m so surprised.
Look, I know all the bad things about Dolan. I’m not in denial. But here are some other really important things to note when it comes to the idea that he stands in the way of us landing a free agent:
1. He’s perceived as one of the richest owners in the sport. Ptmilo’s remarkably specific breakdown yesterday is more accurate than his perception, but the family is still worth $5.5 billion.
2. He’s the CEO of a company that’s trading at $296 today. I know he sucks at sports, but sports media is actually a really insignificant corner of the universe. His perception in the larger, nonsports world is not as the fool we make him out to be.
3. He’s arguably the most progressive owner in sports when it comes to hiring and promoting African Americans in the front office.
4. In multiple NBA lockouts, he’s established himself as one of the owners most sensitive to the Players Union.
I don’t think any of those things will be a deciding factor, but each of them probably matters more than some TMZ generated bullshit and his perception on NBA Twitter. Simply put, I don’t think he’s going to be a big deal as long as he shuts up and lets his people do the work, which it seems he’s inclined to do now.
My point had less to do with what the fan said or didn’t say, or Dolan’s history as an owner, and more to do with the fan’s subsequent failure to treat Dolan with common courtesy, that we all deserve, and just apologize for being disrespectful. I guess we’ll agree to disagree.
Having said that it was encouraging to hear Dolan talk enthusiastically about Mitch.
Agreed. But how much does that difference factor into a free agent making a decision on where to play? If a player happens to like Fizdale, Perry/Mills how much will he care that the owner is dumb and makes poor decisions?
@15 Isn’t it derangedly hilarious that James Dolan being James Dolan is the reason more people don’t focus on points 3 and 4 – things that should put any owner in a socially positive light?
OT: A few last things about the Giants from yesterday:
I could be fine with either scenario. Emotionally, I’m ready to move on from Eli now. But if you tell me the team has a successor plan where Manning gracefully hands the reins over to a young QB during next season (and not just the final 4-5 games either), I can be patient.
I mean seriously though, how do you not just ignore someone that yells “sell the team”? It’s not even really rude IMO and no profanity was involved. The guy is just stupid – just as he was stupid to suggest that the Knicks have been talking to potential free agents through back channels.
I also just realized it’s probably another bad sign for Frank that he wasn’t on the cheat sheet.
@16
I’m with you on the respect and courtesy part. But why should that fan apologize for being disrespectful or not courteous when he wasn’t? The problem wasn’t with the fan’s heckling, it was with the response. Before the ban. What Dolan said to a paying fan was a bit condescending. The Knicks shouldn’t be in the game for a participation trophy. Fans should not be verbally abusive, and they shouldn’t be in the stands silent either. What does Dolan want? For fans to yell and cheer only in good times? To sit there and say “aww buddy it’s ok, you’ll do better next time. Thanks for playing, take these chocolates and heart card” to the team?
I have no problem with heckling as long as it’s not abusive. What that fan did was not abusive. He’s entitled to his opinion just like Dolan is.
I just don’t get why Dolan’s feathers were so ruffled in that particular interaction. That was something for him to ignore and keep walking through the tunnel.
Zion coming back
I would’ve respected Dolan more if he recited this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eIhHZuwIsvs
Dude is 19.
If he flames out of the league, I really think he should switch to olympic weightlifting.
@23
LOLOLOLOLOLOLZ!
Now there’s video of Guitar Jimmy kicking another very mild heckler out of a JD And The Straight Shot appearance at some crummy music festival. The heckler brought a sign that said “Quit your day job, sell the Knicks.”
Also, Dolan wrote, recorded and released a sad song about his friend Harvey Weinstein called “I Should Have Known.”
Srsly tho
Mr. Robinson, might I respectfully ask that you not drive your new Mercedes more than 55?
https://nypost.com/2019/03/13/mercedes-mitch-moving-into-the-knicks-fast-lane/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
If we somehow end up with him and Mitch on the same team I think it will make every second of the last 18 seasons worth it.
Even if we don’t win the lottery, depending on who wins, we could put an attractive package together for that pick if we still end up with Morant or Barrett. Barrett/Morant + our unprotected pick in 2020 + Dallas unprotected pick in 2021 = Zion? I’m sure they might be someone who finds that attractive.
Imagine what Trump would’ve done as owner of the Bills.
Dolan’s Razor: NYKsiest outcome imaginable: NYKs win first pick. Silver then fines NYKs for tampering with potential free agents through back channels by confiscating that first pick.
BTW, props to whoever came up with “Dolan’s Razor”, our all-purpose kvetching tool.
Joke’s on you! At best, that only has a 14% chance of happening because the odds of getting the 1st overall pick are terrible in the year that we finally have the worst record. 🙂
Would you guys agree that this is the most consequential off season in Knicks history? I guess you could argue for 2010, since we emptied the cupboard to clear space for LeBron, but it seemed pretty inevitable that LeBron was not coming to NY.
Knicks fan fantasy: Zion, Durant, Kyrie
Dolan’s Razor reality: Cam Reddish, Boogie Cousins, Khris Middleton
I remembered Joe Smith just before I responded that this was implausible. This is what’s gonna happen.
It’s implausible.
Not just plausible, but guaranteed.
When you have the opportunity to land a player as good as Joe Smith, you just go ahead and tamper if you gotta
I couldn’t remember the details of the Joe Smith case, btw, so I googled it. Good lord, it was so blatant! A quick refresher, in case you also forgot:
Dude turned down an $80mm extension with Golden State to sign three consecutive one year, $1.5mm deals with Minnesota, then signed a $90mm extension with Minnesota after three seasons once they had his bird rights.
And still they might not have been penalized except for the fact that his agents got into a fight during those three years and one of them turned the other in.
That’s like showing up to work with cocaine in your mustache.
Jowels remembers the T-Wolves were fined 3 mil and lost 1st round picks for multiple years. Google it.
DS, so if the odds of that happening are 14%, that means the NYKs DO win the 1st pick, and 100% chance that Silver confiscates. Joke’s on all of us, sad to say.
Remember when WE got a first rounder from Miami for stealing Pat Riley? Thanks for Walter McCarty, suckazzzzz!! Oh, wait…
I vividly remember all 7 of the good things that have happened to us.
Hubert, we were SUPPOSED to get Glen Rice at his peak, but i believe there was a lockout and player transactions were barred. We got Rice later after he was washed.
Anyone see this quote yet?
“I have the support of arena security, the support of the NYPD, the support of the Rabid Knicks Fans for Dolan — I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad,” James Dolan said.
Since ’99:
1) stealing David Lee with the best pick in the draft, #30
2) Fields’s rookie year (and, later, letting him walk)
3) Linsanity (this could count as all 7)
4) the gift of Tyson Chandler
5) Mike K. continues to pay server fees to host our nonsense through the Melo/Bargnani years
6) avoiding the Porzingis max while unloading THJ and Lee, inexplicably
7) Mitch Lob under contract for 4 years for peanuts (sorry Mitch)
If Silver confiscated the Zion pick from the Knicks he’d end up buried in concrete somewhere.
@44 are you suggesting that an armed coalition of military, police, and Hell’s Angels WON’T seize the capital in Trump’s name if he’s impeached or voted out? Get a grip
edit: excuse me, I meant an armed coalition of NYPD, MSG security, and rabid Knicks fans seizing MSG if Dolan is forced to sell the team
Remember that time we unexpectedly benefited from a players union grievance that granted us early bird rights to Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak? That was a good day.
Of course we overpaid for Novak and let Lin leave. Kinda ruined it.
Part of me thought that Lin and Shumpert would still be our back court in 2019.
Jesus, the Giants gave 4 years to Golden Tate? What are they doing???
I was actually ok with the trade when I assumed it meant they were rebuilding.
I don’t follow football but isn’t Tate, like, 30? And isn’t $23M guaranteed kinda expensive for a 30-year-old?
The bigger problem is that Dave Gettleman has no clue what he’s doing. Trading Beckham is a move you do when you’re rebuilding. But everything else — including the mindless commitment to Eli despite all evidence that he’s done — signals a team going all-in on the current roster. It’s embarrassing, and VERY Knicksy in its misunderstanding of the win curve, positional scarcity, etc.
Nah, more knicksy:
We draft Zion, he becomes a poor man’s Clarence Weatherspoon, Cam Reddish becomes James Harden 2.0 and teams with Doncic and KP to win 5 consecutive rings.
The Giants are actually the laughing stock of the league right now. Don’t mind me while I quietly enjoy all of this.
Jets have overpaid too. That contract to Le’veon Bell is a very bad value far team playing in a league where RBs grow on trees.
Can the league really punish the Knicks for Dolan’s comments about free agents this summer? Can it really qualify as tampering?
He didn’t mention ANY specifics at all about certain players. All he said was that the Knicks had some insider knowledge from agents, etc…that the Knicks would sign some free agents this summer. Is that really tampering? Its not like he said “oh, yeah, Perry had a convo with Durant and him and Kyrie are totally coming. Buckle up.” He was super vague and mentioned no names. If push came to shove he could easily make the argument that he was just hyping up the team’s current cap space situation. Saying a team is going to be players in free agency isn’t really big news when the team has tons of cap space.
Just saying…I can’t see the league actually justifying that as tampering. Unless a specific player is mentioned, how is it tampering?
You can over pay guys when you have a rookie QB. Not so much when you’re paying Eli Manning $23M
@54
Nah, I’m okay with the Jets signing Bell. You have a potentially very good young QB who you need to take pressure off of, and he’s very skilled as a runner and receiver, so he’ll help for the next 2-3 years. That’s a worthy overpay.
Much more troubling is signing Mosely, an ILB, for much more than Bell. And, once again the GM fails to address the OL. All he ever does is mediocre to bad vet stopgaps and late round flyers.
He got a decent retread from Oakland to play LG, but team is lousy at C and both OT spots. Maybe he’ll draft an OT in round 1 and a C in round 3? I sure hope so…
They can fine him if he crossed a line, and, fuck it, fine his poser ass to oblivion. Fine him a million bucks for putting recorded music into the world. Still wouldn’t be enough. Fuck him.
They’re not going to dock draft assets of their most-valuable franchise over some interview comments about free agents. They could do that if it’s revealed, with hard evidence, that he offered cash on top of those FAs’ salaries or conspired in some other anti-competitive way to undermine other teams’ abilities to sign them.
RB : NFL :: dunk-and-D centers : NBA
So if Dolan wasn’t a member of the Lucky Sperm club, what would he be doing with his life?
My guess: Head greens keeper at a shitty public golf course in Kissimee, FL.
Would love to hear other opinions…..
Drunk at the end of the bar…..
So if Dolan wasn’t a member of the Lucky Sperm club, what would he be doing with his life?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo3YGCdVCko (nsfw)
Wow. Flawless victory there.
Haha we have a winner!
Some things we could rule out:
Male pin-up model
Professional athlete
Shakespearean actor
Grammy award winner
Civil rights leader
Talent scout
Buddhist monk
Human Resources manager
James Dolan has as much talent as the average Grammy winner, and James Dolan has no talent whatsoever.
Speaking of Grammy winners, remember when Gary Clark Jr used to do Friday Night Knicks? I’ve had the good fortune of seeing a lot of his shows. He’s incredible.
I say this bc he’s playing 3 shows at the beacon next week and you should absolutely go if you can.
I love Gary Clark Jr but I think you’re confusing him with Robert Randolph
Watching the Syracuse zone makes my mouth water for Zion in a motion offense. It is so goddamn boring. They all camp right inside the line and Duke still can’t get a good look up from behind the arc.
Zion looks ok
HE IS SO FUCKING GOOD AT THIS GAME
I have never seen this kind of dominance in college basketball.
Does the color commentator know that it’s “box out,” not “block out?”
Both are acceptable….
Barrett will be a useful nba player I think….
Not a star though….
Zion really might be the best college player I’ve seen (that’s over the last 30 years at least.)
Does anyone regularly read Colin McGowan’s articles for RealGM? He’s really good.
If we don’t end up with the 1st pick in this draft I will be truly heartbroken.
If Nate McMillan doesn’t win Coach of the Year it’s a crime.
They should just do a Duke-UNC best of five series and call the NCAA season early
2-9 from the ft line, though… that’s pretty bad. And 6 TOs for Barrett.
In case anyone forgot, Zion is absolutely the best player in NCAA and is the undisputed consensus #1 pick in the draft. Also, Cam Reddish is fucking terrible and I can’t believe he’s probably going to get pick top 10 if not top 5.
Of course that means the Knicks will pick him
That was a pretty sweet game in Denver between the Nuggets and Mavs. I really wish Doncic’s dunk would have gone in the books as the game-winner. That would have been a useful win by Dallas.
Damn, just watched the highlights. What a dunk, and what a finish by Jokic.
Pretty epic airball by Hardaway too at 2:15 left in the fourth.
But definitely a pretty crazy make by Jokic.