Dolan is confident the Knicks can sign two of the top free agents this summer to turn the team aroundNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Knicks Owner James Dolan yesterday was "adamant that he will not sell" the team despite recent reports, even if he were offered $6B, according to Kevin Draper of the N.Y. TIMES. Dolan, in wide-ranging interview on ESPN Radio 98.7 N.Y., said, "I am not selling the team, and I am not quitting. ... We are not selling." The "idea that Dolan might sell the team gained steam last month" after The Ringer's Bill Simmons said as much on his podcast. Dolan theorized that a rival GM was "giving Simmons bad information in order to destabilize the Knicks." He said, "There are teams that do not want us to get free agents, some in particular." Meanwhile, Draper notes the Knicks have the worst record in the NBA, but there is "room for optimism based on the team having one of the top picks" in this year's Draft and the cap space to sign two maximum-salary players this offseason. Dolan is "confident the Knicks will be able to sign two of the top players" available in free agency "despite the team's woes." Dolan said, "Free agents want to go to a winner and get paid. We are definitely going to pay them" (NYTIMES.com, 3/12). Simmons yesterday "fired back" at Dolan, tweeting, "Clearly -- the biggest lure for future free agents is the perennially stable Knicks franchise, all those playoff wins and the leadership of owner James Dolan. A new owner might scare them off" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 3/13).
STARS ALIGN? In N.Y., Stefan Bondy notes Dolan in the interview "almost assured the Knicks will land a top free agent this summer, claiming he's been informed by either players or agents that the signatures are coming." However, the premise that Dolan selling the team would "detract superstar free agents is faulty, to say the least." The Knicks "haven't signed one during the entirety of Dolan's tenure and he's hardly viewed around the league as a stabilizing force" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/13). On Long Island, Steve Popper notes the Knicks have "chased the prizes of free agency in the past and come up empty," most notably with Warriors F Kevin Durant and LeBron James (NEWSDAY, 3/13).
FANNING THE FLAMES: On Long Island, Neil Best notes Dolan addressed a weekend incident in which he confronted and subsequently banned a fan from MSG, and Dolan "painted the incident as a confrontation planned by the fan and his friends." Dolan said that he "initially planned to invite the fan back and explain to him what the team's plans for the future are." However, once video showed it was apparently planned, Dolan said he "can't see" letting him back inside MSG. "The Michael Kay Show" co-host Peter Rosenberg suggested that Dolan had "walked into" the confrontation. Dolan responded, "I did. We had just lost, again, and believe it or not I get frustrated with it, too." Asked why he continues to sit courtside for Knicks games, Dolan said, "I could hide. I've been sitting there for 25 years." Dolan: "I do understand that for the fans it's about winning and losing, and we haven't been doing much winning, and there's a real big frustration there. We get it. I don't like losing, either" (NEWSDAY, 3/13).
MEDIA MATTERS: USA TODAY's Chris Iseman notes Dolan during the interview also "addressed the decision to exclude" Stefan Bondy of the N.Y. Daily News from two media events, a sit-down interview with Knicks President Steve Mills and a conference call announcing the Kristaps Porzingis trade. Dolan said, "There are certain journalists that actually wish ill will toward the team. They don't want to see the team win. They don't want to see the team successful." Dolan said that he is "not a 'public servant' and has the right to invite who he wants to media events" (USA TODAY, 3/13). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes under the header, "James Dolan Says He Isn't To Blame For His Poor PR, The New York Daily News Is" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/13).
