Plenty to go around BTW.

Maybe I'd like the trade better if Dolan had not burst into the room and took over the trade and went all in.

From Isola via Daily News:

James Dolan finally got the best of LeBron James and wanted to share in the euphoria by making a rare appearance in the Knicks' locker room.

After all, his team had beaten the player who six months earlier had said no to the chairman of Madison Square Garden. So on a cold January night in Manhattan after the Knicks had outlasted LeBron and Dwyane Wade, Dolan couldn't hide his excitement.

The door swung open, the boss walked straight to the back of the room, shook Amar'e Stoudemire's hand, turned and walked out.

"We were all like, 'That's a little strange,'" said one Knick. "He didn't say anything to the rest of us. He just looked at us and left."

Say this about Dolan: He understands that the NBA is a superstar league, and in his mind, he has two of them and personally played a major role in bringing Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony to New York.

And that is a problem for Mike D'Antoni.

Dolan has never been as emotionally invested in the Knicks as he is right now. From his baseline seat adjacent to bench, he has been more animated than ever since the Knicks acquired Anthony last month.

When Anthony made his Knick debut on Feb. 23, the normally stoic Dolan applauded each time his prized recruit scored. The following day, the back page of the Daily News caught Dolan grinning as he looked up at Carmelo. He had never looked happier.

Dolan always wanted what Dave Checketts had in New York - the cache to meet face to face with All-Stars, make big deals and hold a press conference to let everyone know he pulled off a coup.

Dolan did exactly that. He took the Carmelo negotiations away from Donnie Walsh and swung a deal that the team president never would have made. Walsh was in favor of adding Anthony, but his standard operating procedure is to exercise patience and wait for the other GM to blink.

Dolan, though, went all-in three days before the trading deadline and made a deal that, according to sources, neither Walsh nor D'Antoni endorsed. It doesn't mean that Dolan made the wrong move. It just means that if the Knicks continue to struggle with Stoudemire and Anthony, someone is going to take the fall - and owners don't fire themselves.

The Knicks are 6-6 since acquiring Anthony, including two losses apiece to Cleveland and Indiana. According to NBA.com's John Schuhmann, Stoudemire and Anthony have played 335 minutes together, and during that time, the Knicks are a plus-1 in points scored.

It's a small sample, and under normal circumstances, there would be no reason to panic. Only this is not a normal situation. Dolan put his neck out to make the Anthony trade.

Dolan has always wanted to be like his idol, Dallas owner Mark Cuban, and getting Anthony has been his signature moment. That's a tough spot for D'Antoni, who liked the pre-Melo Knicks with Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton. Not only did D'Antoni have Stoudemire playing at an MVP level, but his All-Star forward was buying into the program.

Wednesday, D'Antoni reiterated that this is "still a process," and that the Knicks are still on pace to achieve their goal of making the playoffs for the first time since 2004. He seemed to be speaking directly to Dolan when he asked observers "not to make more than what it is" in reference to their slow start with Anthony.

It makes perfect sense.

But try telling that to the boss.

Then Dolan burst into the room with Isiah rumors and puts his touch on the team.

Liked getting slimed......

Rookie wrote:The Scorpion and the Frog

One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.
The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.

Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.

"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"

"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.

"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"

Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."

Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.

Self destruction - "Its my Nature", said the Scorpion...

great scene in the crying game.

NYKBocker wrote:Well this sucks. This means that Donnie will not be renewed unless we get to at least the ECF.

Nalod wrote:

NYKBocker wrote:Well this sucks. This means that Donnie will not be renewed unless we get to at least the ECF.

Im not even sure Donnie wants any part of this.

Donnie don't need the money and why stay if your owner is going to tear up your work to satisfy his interests instead of the goal of "winning"?

MDA could also get back channel offers. Maybe the Lakers are interested and MDA has had it with roster changes. Lakes going to hire who kobe wants.

some fans would be like "good riddence" but on the other hand I can't say I'd blame the guy. Get out while the reputation is in tact. Besides, around the league Gm's and owners know whats up. If the guy is to blame then perhaps his value is cut but if the view is Knicks keep tearing it up he won't be held reaponsable.

Yup

holfresh wrote:
Wasn't it Donnie's plan to get under the cap and sign 2 free agents?

Yeah, we signed one and traded for the other.

If you sign two and keep you team your contending. If you got Shawn Williams as you center your not.

martin wrote:

holfresh wrote:
Wasn't it Donnie's plan to get under the cap and sign 2 free agents?

Very much so. Adding them through FA without having to give up Chandler, Gallo, and other assets.

If that's the case then it's not a realistic plan...If he wanted to sign 2 free agents via free agency, he would have to let Chandler go after this year...Depending on who we were able to sign or not sign in 2011, we may have to let Gallo go in 2012 as well...I really can't see Moz being a deal breaker...

martin wrote:

holfresh wrote:

martin wrote:

holfresh wrote:
Wasn't it Donnie's plan to get under the cap and sign 2 free agents?

Very much so. Adding them through FA without having to give up Chandler, Gallo, and other assets.

If that's the case then it's not a realistic plan...If he wanted to sign 2 free agents via free agency, he would have to let Chandler go after this year...Depending on who we were able to sign or not sign in 2011, we may have to let Gallo go in 2012 as well...I really can't see Moz being a deal breaker...

i have no idea what you are talking about. First you are talking about signing 2 FA during summer 2010, and then you are complaining about having to let Chandler go in 2011. 2 different scenarios.

Humor me, If the Knicks did not make the trade for Melo, Would they have enough room to sign another FA stud and sign Chandler in 2011?...Also, I don't think Donnie's plan was confined to 2010 FA class...

holfresh wrote:

martin wrote:

holfresh wrote:

martin wrote:

holfresh wrote:
Wasn't it Donnie's plan to get under the cap and sign 2 free agents?

Very much so. Adding them through FA without having to give up Chandler, Gallo, and other assets.

If that's the case then it's not a realistic plan...If he wanted to sign 2 free agents via free agency, he would have to let Chandler go after this year...Depending on who we were able to sign or not sign in 2011, we may have to let Gallo go in 2012 as well...I really can't see Moz being a deal breaker...

i have no idea what you are talking about. First you are talking about signing 2 FA during summer 2010, and then you are complaining about having to let Chandler go in 2011. 2 different scenarios.

Humor me, If the Knicks did not make the trade for Melo, Would they have enough room to sign another FA stud and sign Chandler in 2011?...Also, I don't think Donnie's plan was confined to 2010 FA class...

Signing Melo straight out at max $ and also signing Chandler would have been near impossible dependent on some reasonable salary cap numbers. But in that scenario the Knicks would have been able to keep Gallo, Moz, AR, 2 extra second round picks this year (I think). That's significant.

And who's to say that Chandler really really really wanted to sign with the Knicks and accepted his QO with the promise of a gigantic extension the year after with his Bird Rights.