Please turn the lights off when you leave, and watch that last step on your way out…it can be a doozy. The long awaited pink slip for the man who has orchestrated the single biggest disaster in NBA history has been written. All that is awaiting its delivery is a signature, one from newly hired New York Knick President Donnie Walsh, a Bronx-native who returns home after years of guiding the Indiana Pacers to prominence.
For many months, New York Knicks fans pleaded with CEO James Dolan to terminate Isiah Thomas’ reign as the head coach and general manager of the NBA’s most valuable franchise. And for many months Dolan resisted, somehow obstinately offering an extension of undying loyalty to Thomas at the expense of his own soul, the psyche of the fans, and the fate of the franchise. For this loyalty, Dolan has a team that will miss the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, a payroll that will likely leave the team hamstrung for the foreseeable future, and the political smear of being a franchise that has actively engaged in and enabled gender discrimination in the workplace. Lovely…
While many will praise Dolan for “finally seeing the light,” I am not so forgiving. It is beyond comprehensible how a franchise with the mystique and wherewithall of the Knicks can find themselves suffering from this degradation. Thomas shares a considerable amount of blame, for sure. But so does the man who allowed him this carte blanche.
It is baffling to consider that Dolan turned a blind eye to the wretchedness that is the present Knicks leadership that he would allow Thomas to run amuck with his most important investment for this long. At what point in the last four years could the Knicks be seen as having “turned a corner” such that Dolan would feel the need to be committed to Thomas? At what point do you realize that gender discrimination is no laughing matter–that the mere accusation alone is reprehensible–and that a reputable organization would have engaged in a full and extensive investigation with an eye toward rectifying not exposing the blight to the world in an arrogant charade? When do you become aware that the players who are being asked to wear one of the most recognizable jerseys in the country are putting in poor efforts because there are no ramifications otherwise? How many chants of “Fire Isiah!” must there be before you take a long hard look at the quality of your product? And how long would it take you to consider the sudden silence at MSG to be because the stands are empty because fans are fed up with imploring an owner who is either deaf, dumb AND blind or comatose ala “Sunny Von Bulow?”
Knicks fans can rejoice that Thomas’ reign of terror is coming to its most inausipicious end. We can hope that Walsh and the next head coach will bring enthusiasm to the court, if not a winning attitude. But I think Walsh is being set up for failure…and I think the new head coach is too.
Because at the end of the day, a bumbling, short-sighted man still owns the Knick franchise. He has no ability or acumen to judge what is necessary for the fans, the team or the image of the NBA. Many in Donnie Walsh’s seat have tried to elevate this team before—and all have failed under the malignant specter of Dolan.
If I were Donnie Walsh? I would have made my hiring contingent on the departure of Dolan—and with that move, Walsh will already have done this franchise and its fans an enormous favor.
Filed under: NBA - Knicks, Writer - Enrico Pallazo
