mafra
Legend
http://www.knicksfix.com/the-fix-blog/donnie-walsh-dismantles-false-narratives-about-the-melo-deal
WOJ: Jim Dolan was a different kind of owner. He was different than the Simons. When the Carmelo trade came, and there became a point where - and I believe it was All-Star Weekend…
Donnie: It was.
WOJ: ...where Jim went in - took a meeting with Masai Ujiri in Denver, and I think Leon Rose and his agent, and Jim took over the talks…
Donnie: Right.
WOJ: ...and started to give more than you, I remember let’s see it was a weekend trade deadline, it was Wednesday… and you know, it’s a dance right up until that trade deadline - of leverage and - I don’t wanna put Mozgov in the deal, I don’t want to give you another pick… and he went in and he basically gave up what you hadn’t wanted to.
Donnie: But - he did call me. In other words, he called me at a certain point... he was out there, and I was reading about it and all that… and he said “Well here’s what it’s gonna take, and I don’t think it’ll get done if you don’t do this.” And it was the deal kinda that got done. And he said - might’ve been the same or another phone call - and he said, “Look Donnie, I’m not a basketball guy. I can’t make this decision. So this is your decision.” And I said “Ok, I wanna call Mike D’antoni.” Mike didn’t really wanna do it either. And I thought, “We’re never gonna get a guy like Carmelo Anthony if we don’t do this deal… and so I’m gonna do it.” And I made up my mind. I kinda knew I’d have to give up Gallinari, who I loved, and Wilson Chandler who I loved too. I thought any deal we were gonna do to get Carmelo that was gonna happen. But I didn’t like giving up Moz, and I didn’t like giving up, uh… the little point guard.
WOJ: Raymond Felton.
Donnie: Raymond Felton - cuz I didn’t see the reason for that. Why they would want him. They had point guards out there at the time. And as it worked out, they didn’t want him. (laughs) and they couldn’t trade him, because he didn’t play there or something. And so I justified it by saying exactly that - that if you want to get a player of that nature, and Amare - and I would defend him with the Knicks. Later as he got older I think his knees went, but he never had knee problems when I was around, and he worked very hard not to have them. But I think that you’ve gotta keep things stable to degree and we didn’t do that. I mean I left… Mike left after a while… Glen came in, he left… you know when you give the reins to a team to a GM, he’s gonna like start to build it. If every three years you change that, each guy’s coming in to build his own team again, so it’s like this all the time, and I think that’s what hurt up in New York.
SO THERE’S DONNIE, IN HIS OWN WORDS, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, ADMITTING THE MELO DEAL WAS HIS CALL (AND TRYING TO MAKE HIMSELF FEEL BETTER ABOUT SIGNING THE AMARE DEAL… WHOSE DEAL IS WAY MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR WOES THAN MELO).
NOW COMES THE PART WHERE WOJ TRIES TO PUSH HIS OWN NARRATIVE ON WHAT HAPPENED, TO MAKE IT FIT INTO WHAT EVERYONE HAS DECIDED IS THE “REAL” STORY.
WOJ: And you said like hey Dolan called you and said “Well here’s what I”m gonna do - or here’s what I’m proposing to do” - but you’ve lost.. Once he goes in the room and the other GM knows he’s got the owner who doesn’t know basketball like you do… you’ve lost your leverage -- now at this point you’re not dealing from a position of strength anymore as a GM, and at this point… because I think part of you said “I know Carmelo wants to be here, and if he goes into Free Agency… he-we can’t…”
BUT INSTEAD OF TAKING THE BAIT, DONNIE GOES ON TO SHATTER MYTH 2: THAT WE COULD’VE JUST WAITED FOR MELO TO SIGN WITH US IN FREE AGENCY. RUH-ROH!
Donnie: Well here’s one thing that did get my attention, and probably tipped it to where, you know, I wasn’t gonna hold out, particularly when I’m being told this is the deal - and that was that “If you don’t do it, he’s going to Brooklyn.” And that bothered me. For a lot of reasons. Because Carmelo is the kinda guy that could tip the scales very easily. And I wanted him. I thought he was a terrific offensive player. And honestly I thought that - and this may not have worked out, but… and i told him this… that I didn’t see anything he couldn’t do in basketball. I know he can score. I know he can shoot. I knew he could rebound. I also told him “I’ve watched you defensively - I’ve watched you play Lebron… and I can see in Lebron’s eyes he wasn’t quite sure of you.” And I said “I know you can pass… so there’s nothing you can’t do. And i think you should…” At that time I thought he was a little heavy, I said “I think you should lose weight, and I think you should concentrate on being that kind of player, because you can already do these things.” And I don’t know- i think a lot of coaches have tried to get him to do that, and he does it at times.
WOJ: Jim Dolan was a different kind of owner. He was different than the Simons. When the Carmelo trade came, and there became a point where - and I believe it was All-Star Weekend…
Donnie: It was.
WOJ: ...where Jim went in - took a meeting with Masai Ujiri in Denver, and I think Leon Rose and his agent, and Jim took over the talks…
Donnie: Right.
WOJ: ...and started to give more than you, I remember let’s see it was a weekend trade deadline, it was Wednesday… and you know, it’s a dance right up until that trade deadline - of leverage and - I don’t wanna put Mozgov in the deal, I don’t want to give you another pick… and he went in and he basically gave up what you hadn’t wanted to.
Donnie: But - he did call me. In other words, he called me at a certain point... he was out there, and I was reading about it and all that… and he said “Well here’s what it’s gonna take, and I don’t think it’ll get done if you don’t do this.” And it was the deal kinda that got done. And he said - might’ve been the same or another phone call - and he said, “Look Donnie, I’m not a basketball guy. I can’t make this decision. So this is your decision.” And I said “Ok, I wanna call Mike D’antoni.” Mike didn’t really wanna do it either. And I thought, “We’re never gonna get a guy like Carmelo Anthony if we don’t do this deal… and so I’m gonna do it.” And I made up my mind. I kinda knew I’d have to give up Gallinari, who I loved, and Wilson Chandler who I loved too. I thought any deal we were gonna do to get Carmelo that was gonna happen. But I didn’t like giving up Moz, and I didn’t like giving up, uh… the little point guard.
WOJ: Raymond Felton.
Donnie: Raymond Felton - cuz I didn’t see the reason for that. Why they would want him. They had point guards out there at the time. And as it worked out, they didn’t want him. (laughs) and they couldn’t trade him, because he didn’t play there or something. And so I justified it by saying exactly that - that if you want to get a player of that nature, and Amare - and I would defend him with the Knicks. Later as he got older I think his knees went, but he never had knee problems when I was around, and he worked very hard not to have them. But I think that you’ve gotta keep things stable to degree and we didn’t do that. I mean I left… Mike left after a while… Glen came in, he left… you know when you give the reins to a team to a GM, he’s gonna like start to build it. If every three years you change that, each guy’s coming in to build his own team again, so it’s like this all the time, and I think that’s what hurt up in New York.
SO THERE’S DONNIE, IN HIS OWN WORDS, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, ADMITTING THE MELO DEAL WAS HIS CALL (AND TRYING TO MAKE HIMSELF FEEL BETTER ABOUT SIGNING THE AMARE DEAL… WHOSE DEAL IS WAY MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR WOES THAN MELO).
NOW COMES THE PART WHERE WOJ TRIES TO PUSH HIS OWN NARRATIVE ON WHAT HAPPENED, TO MAKE IT FIT INTO WHAT EVERYONE HAS DECIDED IS THE “REAL” STORY.
WOJ: And you said like hey Dolan called you and said “Well here’s what I”m gonna do - or here’s what I’m proposing to do” - but you’ve lost.. Once he goes in the room and the other GM knows he’s got the owner who doesn’t know basketball like you do… you’ve lost your leverage -- now at this point you’re not dealing from a position of strength anymore as a GM, and at this point… because I think part of you said “I know Carmelo wants to be here, and if he goes into Free Agency… he-we can’t…”
BUT INSTEAD OF TAKING THE BAIT, DONNIE GOES ON TO SHATTER MYTH 2: THAT WE COULD’VE JUST WAITED FOR MELO TO SIGN WITH US IN FREE AGENCY. RUH-ROH!
Donnie: Well here’s one thing that did get my attention, and probably tipped it to where, you know, I wasn’t gonna hold out, particularly when I’m being told this is the deal - and that was that “If you don’t do it, he’s going to Brooklyn.” And that bothered me. For a lot of reasons. Because Carmelo is the kinda guy that could tip the scales very easily. And I wanted him. I thought he was a terrific offensive player. And honestly I thought that - and this may not have worked out, but… and i told him this… that I didn’t see anything he couldn’t do in basketball. I know he can score. I know he can shoot. I knew he could rebound. I also told him “I’ve watched you defensively - I’ve watched you play Lebron… and I can see in Lebron’s eyes he wasn’t quite sure of you.” And I said “I know you can pass… so there’s nothing you can’t do. And i think you should…” At that time I thought he was a little heavy, I said “I think you should lose weight, and I think you should concentrate on being that kind of player, because you can already do these things.” And I don’t know- i think a lot of coaches have tried to get him to do that, and he does it at times.
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