The Knicks on Friday announced that Donnie Walsh will be leaving his position as President of Basketball Operations when his contract expires at the end of June. Walsh will remain with the Knicks as a consultant for the '11-12 season. Knicks Senior VP/Basketball Operations Glen Grunwald will serve as interim GM (THE DAILY). In the “surprising announcement,” the Knicks characterized the move as a “mutual agreement” between Walsh and team Owner James Dolan. Walsh had been “negotiating a new contact with the organization for the last few months and was seeking assurances of full autonomy in basketball decisions” (NYTIMES.com, 6/3).
At the beginning of his formal retirement announcement Friday, Shaquille O’Neal could not help but poke fun at the Knicks’ situation. Someone in the crowd handed him a cell phone, to which O’Neal mockingly said, “You want me to come up and apply for the New York Knicks general manager job? OK, sure, I’ll be up right after the press conference.” He then explained to the crowd, “That was the president of the Knicks. He wants me to fly up right after the press conference” (ESPN, 6/3).
