New leader, same result for Knicks

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports


For the most important job in his sports empire, Jim Dolan never could be bothered with the simplest of searches. Dolan flipped through a Rolodex of ex-superstars from anonymous wallflower Scott Layden, dangling the job to peerless point guards. Magic Johnson declined, but tossed his support to unemployed Isiah Thomas. Ownership spent little time probing Thomas for a plan, and just turned the kingdom over to his wayward rule.

This time, Dolan deferred to NBA commissioner David Stern, and the old-boy network spit out Donnie Walsh. He had been a terrific general manager for a long time in Indiana, but his franchise had spiraled in large part because of increasingly poor judgment. Sold as the ultimate NBA insider for the Knicks, an old sage with some of the league’s deepest institutional knowledge, Walsh has had a sluggish start to the job.

For a franchise in full LeBron James-Chris Bosh recruiting mode, there has been little separation of the Knicks’ new order from its dysfunctional past. The mismanagement of the Stephon Marbury saga has delivered a disheartening message to today’s and tomorrow’s Knicks: Once again, Marbury has been empowered to drain the spirit out of the locker room. Once again, he’s been enable to dictate the terms of engagement.

With his franchise in crisis, Walsh should’ve been in Detroit on Wednesday to suspend Marbury on the spot. Once Marbury had refused Mike D’Antoni’s demand to play for a second time in six days, the guard never should’ve been allowed back into the Knicks’ locker room.

As much as anything, Walsh never should’ve left his coach to manage this mess alone. Reports were that Walsh had been traveling back to his Indianapolis home for Thanksgiving.


As one NBA executive said, “You have to be on the road with your team right now if you’re Donnie. You can’t wait until LeBron shows up in two years and then decide to travel with your team.”

This Marbury embarrassment has gone on too long, and should’ve been stopped weeks ago. D’Antoni was irate, and now desperately wants Marbury out of his locker room, out of his life. One league source says it’s expected to happen this weekend – through a suspension or a buyout – but the damage has been done.

In the end Wednesday, it was Knicks veteran Quentin Richardson publicly ripping Marbury for betraying his teammates. He shouldn’t have had to be the lone voice. That’s Walsh’s job. He should’ve been there.

What’s more, why didn’t they approach Marbury prior to the team flying out of New York on Tuesday night? Why did this circus have to travel again? Nevertheless, Walsh had to see the crises coming, with the Knicks unable to dress guards Nate Robinson and Cuttino Mobley. D’Antoni had to go back to Marbury to get him on the floor, only to be rejected again.

So far, Walsh’s top draft pick, Danilo Gallinari, has been lost with a bad back. He traded his two top scorers, Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, for 2010 salary-cap space. One of the players returned in the trade, Mobley, has a heart condition troubling enough that his NBA future is in doubt. After an encouraging start to the season under D’Antoni, the Knicks are rapidly becoming unwatchable.

James and Bosh are playing for functional franchises that have surrounded them with good talent. They won’t just show up in New York because it’s New York. Geography alone won’t earn New York its saviors. The NBA sent out a memo to teams on Wednesday, a reminder about tampering rules and consequences. Two league executives believed it was in response to Walsh’s public comments about James and Bosh.

Walsh, 67, does the GM job his way. He doesn’t get out and scout much. He isn’t always on the road with his team. He works the phones relentlessly, yes, but that’s no substitute for witnessing prospects with your own eyes.

Walsh is a great basketball mind. He’s had a long, successful career. Whatever his style, only results matter. Ultimately, that will be the only judge.

But running the Knicks isn’t supposed to be a lifetime achievement award. These days, it demands an around-the-clock vigil. There are no days off, no holidays.

2010 couldn't come any sooner. It is going to solve every problem we have ever' had and make us all forget about all the negative **** that has plagued this franchise.

Yeah 2010 might be great, but its 2008 and it feels like '07, '06, '05 etc. This has to end. Heck, this HAD to end before the season. But now its not only the Marbury situation, but the Mobley situation, other injuries and the question of the Gallo pick.

I wish things could be just normal for the Knicks at least once. This franchise is still a joke and I hate that...

This is a stupid article.

Donie doesn't have to be there on the road. He can sit anywhere in the world if he likes as long as he has his blackberry and/or a laptop.

Donnie imho is doing the right thing by letting D'antoni run the team on the court, bench, locker room and practice courts. Donnie has been at practice and is listening and observing. He has a handle of the situation.

A lot of people are hypnotized by Marbury and the media. If all the player mad the same salary, nobody would care about Marbury. Maybe Donnie should fine him and banish him.....at this time he is giving everyone the benifit of the doubt. There's rumors that D'antoni asked for him to be fined and banished. I believe the right course of action is to wait till the trading deadline and see if someone will bite on a trade if not? Then waive him. Not sooner.....who cares about Marbury? The man obviously doesn't care about his teamates or the organization.

The end.

I disagree about the good old boy network comment. I think Stern told Dolan he had to replace Thomas and Dolan hired Walsh because he is the only guy in the league that would reassign Thomas rather than fire him. The rest of the article is on point. I think Walsh really messed up by letting Marbury get anywhere near this team. The implication from moves made in the summer as well as statements made by the coach were that Marbury was not going to be a part of the team. I also think Walsh messed up the draft and he was quoted as saying he had only seen film on Gallinari. That was a huge mistake as the Knicks have not had the chance to acquire a franchise player in the draft for along time and Walsh blew it. I don't think you can criticize the Zach and Jamal trades. In fact I think it is remarkable that Walsh was able to move both of them.

Dumb article. Epic douche. The Knicks are not a joke anymore.

We have a player who is a cancer who the owner refuses to cut. James Dolannnn.

We have injuries to 3 rotation players and we just traded 3 players. Jeez. Give it a few weeks YAHOO SPORTS WRITER.

I see the article as having five main points and I think he is right on three of them. I think the Walsh hire was in response to David Stern but I think Walsh was chosen because he would not fire Isiah. I think Walsh needed to handle the Marbury situation before training camp. Remember Duhon was signed and proclaimed the starter. Walsh did not need to be in Detroit, he needed to handle the situation long before that. Walsh needed to see Gallo play in person numerous times before wasting the 6th pick in a talent rich draft on him.