Tag: James Dolan

The Knicks made sweeping changes to …

The Knicks made sweeping changes to their front office this year, in hopes of reversing a two-decade trend of ineptitude. They hired power agent Leon Rose from Creative Artists Agency to become team president. Rose in turn hired William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley, a noted power broker and player confidante, as a top assistant, along with respected front-office veterans Walt Perrin, Brock Aller and Frank Zanin. But their task likely just got tougher, especially when it comes to wooing marquee players. “I think it’s a big black eye on the Knicks as an organization,” said an agent whose firm represents multiple stars, referring to the club’s silence. The agent, who is Black, added, “It will continue to be something that players look down upon, and it further explains why guys like Kevin Durant [passed on the Knicks]. You got all the resources and all the richness of the NBA, and still people don’t want to associate themselves with it.”

The most obvious consequence? That the …

The most obvious consequence? That the Knicks’ silence might imply indifference—to employees, to fans and to players. “James Dolan and the Knick organization, they’re telling you something by the statement that they make or do not make,” Boyd said. “And it’s important for us as a society to be receptive to what they’re telling us, even if what they’re telling us is they don’t give a f—. There’s value in knowing that. And that’s how it looks, in this moment. “They may very well give a f—,” Boyd continued, “but their actions don’t indicate that. So there’s value in knowing that they are misreading the room, that they don’t appreciate the significance of this set of events, that the position that they’ve taken is one inconsistent with perhaps the majority of players on their team and maybe the majority of players in the league.”

That is disconcerting not only to …

That is disconcerting not only to Knicks employees, but to a number of Black executives, players, agents and others around the league who spoke to B/R. “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.” The team executive and others interviewed for this story requested anonymity to preserve their working relationship with the Knicks.

Stephon Marbury: “C’mon man, c’mon. At …

Stephon Marbury: “C’mon man, c’mon. At New York Knicks, did you really just bring world wide sucker to the New York Knicks. … Really? You brought this dude here? Why? I’m a real New York Knicks fan. I’ve been a New York Knicks fan since I was a [kid]. … C’mon [Jim] Dolan man. You gotta be kidding me, man. You brought this dude here? Really? What’s going on man. There’s gotta be an explanation. Not him. Out of all people, you bring this dude here? You bring him to NYC? To New York? He ain’t got no credibility here. Nah.”

Knicks hire former LeBron-associate William Wesley as an advisor

William Wesley has worked for CAA for the past 13 years and has been known for his strong relationships throughout the basketball world.

After it was initially rumored months ago, the New York Knicks have finally made the move official, hiring longtime CAA advisor and one of the most influential people in basketball, William Wesley, known to many as “World Wide Wes.” Wesley was a longtime advisor to Leon Rose, who is now the Knicks President of Basketball Operations.

Rose, of course, used to represent LeBron James for a long time and agent Rich Paul used to work for CAA. Wesley was a longtime advisor to LeBron early on in his career. Rose also represented Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony. Steve Stoute, another advisor to LeBron from early in his career, is a brand consultant for the Knicks as well.

The addition of Wesley is just the latest in a major overhaul of the Knicks front office. They have added several scouts and then also hired highly respected executive Walt Perrin away from the Utah Jazz. While the Knicks have had their struggles over the past few decades, if they don’t turn it around, it certainly won’t be for a lack of basketball intelligence or respect around the basketball world.

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In your article, you wrote that “anyone …

In your article, you wrote that “anyone without something to say by now is part of the problem,” and that you’re sick of people staying quiet and saying, “I don’t know what to say.” We saw 29 of 30 NBA teams show their support either with a statement or by having their coach speak out. The only team that hasn’t said anything publicly is the New York Knicks. A memo from James Dolan circulated where he tried to explain their silence, but dozens of employees are reportedly furious and I’d imagine the players are upset. What are your thoughts on the Knicks’ silence? If you were playing for the Knicks, how would you feel? Caron Butler: I don’t even know… It’s like every opportunity or chance that Mr. Dolan gets a chance to do something right, it’s almost like he’s pivoting in the space to go out of his way to do the opposite. And that probably works in the business space, where you disturb the market. But this is not a business thing. This is a humane thing, and I think that he made a bad decision not speaking up on it.

The Knicks, after all, have a coaching …

The Knicks, after all, have a coaching search to conduct, and throwing a disastrous 2019-20 season in the garbage will be easy. Who wants to remember David Fizdale’s stint, or Steve Mills’ or James Dolan’s issues with arena chants and Spike Lee? Moving forward to the Leon Rose era can’t begin in earnest until he hired his coach. To that end, sources say Tom Thibodeau is the heavy favorite to land the job.