Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Knicks president Donnie Walsh says he has no idea how much discussion Isiah Thomas had with Knicks owner Jim Dolan leading up to the Carmelo Anthony trade.
“I can care less,” Walsh said Tuesday. “There are a lot of people talking to him. I could care less.”
Various reports said Dolan was still consulting with Thomas, the former Knicks coach and president who is now the head coach at Florida International.
“I have no idea, only what I read in your paper,” Walsh said.
“I’m assuming Isiah’s getting ready for the NCAA tournament. That’s what I’m assuming.”
FIU is 9-17, 4-10 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Walsh said he was in “constant touch” with Dolan “for over a week” about the Anthony deal.
“I knew everything that was going on and I was telling him things that I knew were going on,” Walsh said.
Walsh conceded that it was “his nature” not to want to give up everything during the trade and he was initially reluctant to part with too many key pieces. The Knicks ended up surrendering four of their top six players after the Nuggets insisted that 7-foot-1 Russian Timofey Mozgov be added to a deal that included Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and draft picks.
But Walsh disputed published reports that Dolan, who met with Anthony over All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, was driving the deal harder than he was.
“No, he didn’t try to put any words in my mouth or anything like that, or any thoughts in my head,” Walsh said. “He was asking me my opinion.”
Asked if Dolan had to sell him on the deal, Walsh said, “No, not at all. And he shouldn’t because I’m the one who knows basketball. My job is to advise him…and I did that.”
Asked if he had the final say on the deal, Walsh said, “Yes.”
Even as Walsh has cleared cap space and landed two superstars, the Knicks have yet to pick up his option for next season. They have until April 30 to do so.
Speculation has run rampant that Dolan may opt to bring back Thomas, whom he tried to hire as a consultant this summer before the NBA put the kibosh on it because it was deemed a conflict of interest.
“I haven’t even thought about my future,” Walsh said. “I don’t think it’s time to think about my future.
“You guys are making more out of it than I’m making out of it.”
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Knicks president Donnie Walsh says he has no idea how much discussion Isiah Thomas had with Knicks owner Jim Dolan leading up to the Carmelo Anthony trade.
“I can care less,” Walsh said Tuesday. “There are a lot of people talking to him. I could care less.”
Various reports said Dolan was still consulting with Thomas, the former Knicks coach and president who is now the head coach at Florida International.
“I have no idea, only what I read in your paper,” Walsh said.
“I’m assuming Isiah’s getting ready for the NCAA tournament. That’s what I’m assuming.”
FIU is 9-17, 4-10 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Walsh said he was in “constant touch” with Dolan “for over a week” about the Anthony deal.
“I knew everything that was going on and I was telling him things that I knew were going on,” Walsh said.
Walsh conceded that it was “his nature” not to want to give up everything during the trade and he was initially reluctant to part with too many key pieces. The Knicks ended up surrendering four of their top six players after the Nuggets insisted that 7-foot-1 Russian Timofey Mozgov be added to a deal that included Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and draft picks.
But Walsh disputed published reports that Dolan, who met with Anthony over All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, was driving the deal harder than he was.
“No, he didn’t try to put any words in my mouth or anything like that, or any thoughts in my head,” Walsh said. “He was asking me my opinion.”
Asked if Dolan had to sell him on the deal, Walsh said, “No, not at all. And he shouldn’t because I’m the one who knows basketball. My job is to advise him…and I did that.”
Asked if he had the final say on the deal, Walsh said, “Yes.”
Even as Walsh has cleared cap space and landed two superstars, the Knicks have yet to pick up his option for next season. They have until April 30 to do so.
Speculation has run rampant that Dolan may opt to bring back Thomas, whom he tried to hire as a consultant this summer before the NBA put the kibosh on it because it was deemed a conflict of interest.
“I haven’t even thought about my future,” Walsh said. “I don’t think it’s time to think about my future.
“You guys are making more out of it than I’m making out of it.”
RELATED CONTENT
**Knicks primed to add 3rd star in 2012
**Knicks land ‘Melo; New-look team to appear Wednesday
**Mozgov most important man in NBA
And like ZAGS on Facebook.
