(Author's note: The writer is a long-time fan of the Knicks.)
With the NFL season complete, and some time left before Spring Training starts, the sports focus now shifts to basketball. It's been "hard times" lately for fans of the New York Knicks; they're suffering through another "lean year". This is as it was last season, and the season before that.
Year after year, the Knicks find themselves at (or near) the bottom of the Eastern Conference. It doesn't matter who their coach is, or who they get in the draft; the Knicks always stink. What makes this quite unfortunate is that they have every opportunity for excellence.
The Knicks play in America's largest market, and at the "world's most famous arena" of Madison Square Garden. There's a lot of tradition behind the franchise; names like Ewing, Frazier, DeBusschere, and Bradley come to mind. And the New York fan base, among the most loyal of any, would be practically rabid for a good Knicks team (the 1994 season is proof of this). The Knicks should be one of the best teams in the NBA, but they aren't.
Examining this, I'll cast the blame where it belongs; on the shoulders of James Dolan. It is obvious to me that Dolan, who (along with his family) is the principal owner of the Knicks, cares more about making money than winning titles. Let's look at some of the facts behind his "reign of terror".
- The Knicks have not made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season (they will likely miss the playoffs this season as well).
- Those within the Knicks organization who criticize ownership are fired, as a matter of routine. An example of this is (longtime broadcaster) Marv Albert's firing in 2004 (Albert had frequently criticized the team). (1)
- Team management often mistreats (some would even say "abuse") fans; there is more than one example of this. (Note 1) (1)(2)
- Ownership inherently refuses to invest in badly needed roster upgrades, despite having numerous opportunities to do so. (Note 2) (3)
These points are not merely opinions, but well-documented facts. Thus, one wonders how the Knicks have any fans to speak of.
Nevertheless, Mr. Dolan will not or cannot address these issues. If he is not committed to making the Knicks better, then he should "cut his losses", and sell the team. The fans of New York deserve to have a winning franchise. This means a team that contends for a championship every year, not once every twenty years (or thereabouts).
It is as I have said many times before; as long as Mr. Dolan owns the Knicks, they will never come anywhere close to an NBA title. You can take this, seemingly, to the bank. Knicks fans deserve better than constant mediocrity.
Note 1: In 2019, after hearing a passing fan saying "sell the team", Dolan threatened to ban said fan from Madison Square Garden. In 2015, a fan who had written a letter to Dolan (critical of his management) was told (by Dolan) to "root for the Nets, because the Knicks don't want you" (as well as insulted). (1)(2)
Note 2: Among others, the Knicks have missed out on LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving because of making non-competitive offers (and in the cases of Durant and Irving, not making any offers at all). (3)
Sources:
1. “James L. Dolan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_L._Dolan#Media_policies.
2. "Knicks Owner James Dolan Bans Fan For Telling Him To Sell The Team". TMZ, 2020, https://www.tmz.com/2019/03/09/ny-knicks-owner-james-dolan-bans-fan-msg-rude-sell-the-team/. Accessed 5 Feb 2020.
3. Personal knowledge.
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