Tag: James Dolan

The Knicks had to really sink south for …

The Knicks had to really sink south for a coaching change to be made by Game 20. Indications are it was far-fetched for a change to be made this early anyway. Was owner James Dolan, who has given Fizdale private reassurances, really going to let president Mills hire a new coach from the outside on a long-term deal with Fizdale still having at least one season fully guaranteed on his pact for 2020-21? Sources indicated the major deterrent to making a change at Thanksgiving was the sketchy alternative of promoting one of the assistants – Jud Buechler, Keith Smart or Kaleb Canales.

How does David Fizdale tune out the …

How does David Fizdale tune out the speculation about his job status? The Knicks coach revealed Tuesday that he has the backing of the one fan who matters most: Knicks owner James Dolan. “Every game, every game. Jim Dolan comes in and gives me a vote of confidence, a pat on my back and really has just been incredibly encouraging over the last year and a half or whatever it’s been,” Fizdale said. “All we talk about is just sticking to the process of making these guys better and building for a future of sustainable winning.”

Dolan had a conversation with Mills and …

Dolan had a conversation with Mills and other members of the front office the day after the press conference. Per SNY sources, Mills and management came away with the impression that they would be safe if New York showed progress. The Knicks are 2-2 since Mills and Perry addressed the media, presumably at the direction of Dolan, who was understandably unhappy with the club’s rough start.

Not even Patrick Ewing, who wanted out …

Not even Patrick Ewing, who wanted out following the 2000 season, could pull that one off. Ewing told me on Friday that he regretted asking out and feels as if he should have sucked it up and finished his career as a Knick. But it rarely works like that in New York. Only select executives survive. Players and coaches are expendable, no matter how great. Ewing is a legend. Porzingis never reached his potential in New York while Carmelo falls somewhere in the middle. He won a playoff series, was popular among the fans and maintained a good relationship with Garden Chairman James Dolan.

Kiki Vandeweghe interested in Knicks president job?

Regarding the front office, Mills and GM Scott Perry are likely to last the rest of the season, according to sources. That could change if James Dolan gets cranky, but, regardless, the front office is far from safe in the offseason. Names are already being floated across the league of executives who might replace Mills. They include: Masai Ujiri, Sam Presti, Kiki Vandeweghe (who is interested in the job, according to a source), Daryl Morey (who probably won’t last in Houston following the China controversy), Trajan Langdon and Sam Hinkie.

NBA Rumors: Sam Presti a candidate in potential Knicks front office overhaul?

Could Sam Presti be a potential candidate for the Knicks if James Dolan decide to make changes in New York’s front office?

Rumors about trades and deals have been swirling around the Oklahoma City Thunder for months, ever since General Manager Sam Presti negotiated deals to send away OKC’s top two stars in Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

It seems no one has been immune to gossip. As it turns out, neither is Presti.

There’s a lot to unpack, but first, as difficult as a rebuild in Oklahoma City could be, at least the Thunder aren’t the New York Knicks.

The saga of James Dolan and David Fizdale continued this week, thanks in part to the Knicks’ 120-102 blowout loss to Chicago. Although they recovered nicely with a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, Fizdale is still considered to be on the hot seat, especially following the team’s previous loss to the Bulls—one in which rookie Coby White outscored the entire Knicks team by himself in the fourth quarter of the contest.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News believes that if Dolan moves to fire Fizdale during the regular season, it could also jeopardize the status of those in the front office. Should a scenario unfold where team president Steve Mills or GM Scott Perry be out of a job, one of the names reportedly being tossed around is Presti.

“There is already speculation around the league about potential front office replacements, with two names surfacing most often: Toronto president Masai Ujiri and Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti. Presti (meanwhile) sprouted from the Spurs tree and has served as the Thunder’s GM since 2007. He drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden but has been hamstrung by running a team in one the league’s smallest markets. After 12 years in OKC, it’s easy to envision him being tempted by New York.”

Right now, that’s certainly a lot of speculation. Fizdale, Mills, and Perry are all still employed and other names as potential candidates would likely come up should there be an opening in New York.

But it wouldn’t be completely unreasonable for the Knicks to make a run at Presti, should the opportunity present itself.

Knicks owner James Dolan spoke with …

Knicks owner James Dolan spoke with team president Steve Mills and others in management on Monday, the day after Mills and GM Scott Perry held an impromptu press conference to express their frustration with the Knicks. Dolan speaks with Mills and other top decision-makers regularly, just as most NBA owners do, but this conversation seemed to carry a little more weight. Sources familiar with the conversation told SNY that management came away with the impression that their jobs would be secure as long as the Knicks ‘showed progress’ this season.

Not being a New York Knicks fan is the absolute best, isn’t it?

It has to stink so much to be a Knicks fan.

This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

I have the same morning routine every morning – I brush my teeth, I tell myself that today is the day I start eating better, and then I thank the powers that be that I’m not a New York Knicks fan.

Because nobody deserves to be one of those.

The Knicks are easily one of the most embarrassing franchises in all of sports. And I’m not just talking about the lack of results they have on the floor… but also how they’re ran, starting and ending with owner James Dolan.

Did you see what happened the other night at Madison Square Garden? Security confronted a fan for chanting “Fire Dolan!” because apparently you’re not allowed to yell out good ideas while at a Knicks game. The fan told TMZ that he chose to leave the stadium and spend his money elsewhere.

When it comes to terrible owners in sports, Dolan is right there shaking hands with Daniel Snyder while looking around and saying “where is everybody else?” The man seems more interested in performing in his folk band – which is just dull poison on your ears – than building a winner in New York.

Just this past summer the Knicks thought they’d get big free agents to join the team because of the building in which they play their home games. Like guys were gonna do whatever it took to play at the “Mecca of Basketball,” which once you’re inside MSG these days it feels like every other vanilla stadium thanks to some renovations that took all the life out of the place.

Last year Dolan banned a fan for life from MSG because he yelled that Dolan should sell the team.

A year before that he kicked out Knicks legend Charles Oakley.

And this year the Knicks are already holding wild press conferences in which they’re basically apologizing for stinking so much at basketball, as they’ve started the year 2-8 and are in last place in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks have been awful at drafting players, signing free agents, and making the playoffs – they’ve only won one playoff series since 2000-01 season.

Now they’re continuing to pay rent at an address listed as “Rock Bottom,” a place they’ve called home for many years.

They’ll likely stay there, too, until Dolan finally does the right thing and sells the team.

Until then, a lot of us can all smile each morning and bask in the glory that comes with knowing you don’t cheer for such a pathetic franchise.

Feels great, doesn’t it?

Monday’s big winner: Jeopardy contestant Dhruv Gaur and Alex Trebek.

Something pretty special happened on Monday night’s episode of Jeopardy! during Final Jeopardy, as contestant Dhruv Gaur opted to write as his answer, “We love you, Alex.” It caught Trebek, who’s battling cancer, by surprise as he choked up and thanked Gaur. It was a great moment, and one you should watch.

Quick hits: The Rock responds… NFL QB hip warmups are a thing… Steph Curry on MJ… And more!

– The Rock responded to Nate Diaz calling him out after UFC 244.

– Jimmy Garoppolo showed off his hip-thrusting warmup routine before MNF. This is apparently becoming a thing.

– Steph Curry seems to think Michael Jordan is a hater of his.

– Ed Orgeron had an on-brand Saturday night after beating Alabama.

– Check out our latest tanking rankings to see which NFL teams are making the best/worst moves to get the No. 1 pick next year.

(Follow me on Twitter at @anezbitt. It might change your life. Just don’t tell me about your fantasy team.)

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