Posted by newyorknewyork:

Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by arkrud:

Posted by VDesai:

What can you do about the owner of the team? You want to target Dolan? Get an investor group to put up a couple billion dollars to buy the Garden. That would would be targeting Dolan.

Do you mean to help Dolan make more money?

I got $35 worth of change saved in a jar at home. Who else is in?

I got $168 on it.

Okay we have $35+$168=$75. Okay we have $75, only a billion more to go.

Posted by Cosmic:

The Knicks are 3% of Cablevision - not MSG I believe. Regardless:

Targeting Dolan is pointless. When you think about it Dolan was really meddling during the Layden era. He's given Isiah full control and a blank check for four years.

So if he were to Fire Isiah and say...hire Jerry Colangelo who is to say that he wouldn't give Jerry the same control? He likely would.

I know it feels like Dolan interferes in every little thing but I think he had his taste of it when he fired Checketts and Grunfeld and hired Layden to be his yes-man. Since then I don't think he's forced Isiah to do anything - EXCEPT - coach the team as a result of the Brown debacle.


So, no, you don't target Dolan - ESPECIALLY - since he's an owner and he's not going anywhere until HE wants to. His father already said that he's not going to remove James.

So you target the next guy in charge, possibly Mills, and if that guy is going nowhere you target ISIAH THOMAS.

How do you know that Layden had less freedom from Dolan than Isiah has had? I never heard someone say that before. My own suspicion is that neither had any freedom to do real rebuilding and the next GM won't either, because this corporation has no interest in taking a step back and losing a lot of money just to rebuild the Knicks. It is only my suspicion, although the past seven years have been consistent with it.

Posted by Cosmic:

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by Cosmic:

The Knicks are 3% of Cablevision - not MSG I believe. Regardless:

Targeting Dolan is pointless. When you think about it Dolan was really meddling during the Layden era. He's given Isiah full control and a blank check for four years.

So if he were to Fire Isiah and say...hire Jerry Colangelo who is to say that he wouldn't give Jerry the same control? He likely would.

I know it feels like Dolan interferes in every little thing but I think he had his taste of it when he fired Checketts and Grunfeld and hired Layden to be his yes-man. Since then I don't think he's forced Isiah to do anything - EXCEPT - coach the team as a result of the Brown debacle.


So, no, you don't target Dolan - ESPECIALLY - since he's an owner and he's not going anywhere until HE wants to. His father already said that he's not going to remove James.

So you target the next guy in charge, possibly Mills, and if that guy is going nowhere you target ISIAH THOMAS.

How do you know that Layden had less freedom from Dolan than Isiah has had? I never heard someone say that before. My own suspicion is that neither had any freedom to do real rebuilding and the next GM won't either, because this corporation has no interest in taking a step back and losing a lot of money just to rebuild the Knicks. It is only my suspicion, although the past seven years have been consistent with it.

Layden was Dolan's puppet. Don't you remember? "Get rid of Ewing I don't care how." "Keep Allan Houston no matter what it takes." "Get me some character guys in here" (meaning get rid of spree, camby... which led to eisley, anderson, spoon, etc).

Do you recall when Checketts and Grunfeld were fired? Do you remember Dolan's quotes? "I'm not really a basketball guy but I wanted to try things myself" (not exact, as its been a long time)

Scott Layden was James Dolan's attempt at running a team. Scott Layden was a yes-man who had no problem executing Dolan's orders. Layden was never blocked to do anything but he was instructed on what to do and when and he complied.

It's an entirely different dynamic here.

When Isiah was hired? Aside from "win now" Isiah Thomas was allowed to do ANYTHING he wanted. ANYTHING.

So to me that signaled that Dolan realized he was doing the wrong thing in trying to run the team through his willing puppet in Layden and basically sat back and let Isiah do what he wanted.


So in that my theory is if we get a competent individual with a proven track record such as Jerry Colangelo? Dolan will let him do what he wants.

Yup. I remember the whole "character guys" thing. It started with Dolan's disapproval of Sprewell and Camby, both of whom Layden ended up trading. I don't think Dolan necessarily said, "go get DICE". But I know that Layden had to stay within the bounds of "character" -- whatever that means. Even without a firm definition, I think we can be safe in saying that Isiah has not had a similar restraint (i.e. Marbury -- DUI, Q-Woods -- Animal Abuse, Z-Bo -- Rape Charge, etc. -- not exactly oozing character).