<table width="100%" bgcolor="#02549d" border="0"><tbody><tr><td width="1%">
</td> <td width="99%"><table width="100%" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td>Dolan Too Involved with Front Office?</td> </tr> <tr> <td>By Tommy Dee - Dec 10, 2009 8:34 am</td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> </tr> </tbody></table> Via Isola:
Ultimately, Walsh probably should have cleaned house, but you have to wonder who?s decision that was. A source close to the team who I?ve spoken to assured me that the team wasn?t in the market for a ?ball dominating? guard on draft night, as the offense is predicated on pick and roll and ball movement and that Walsh and Mike D?Antoni see Jordan Hill as a prospect who can knock down shots and be athletic in the pick and roll.
Whether Jennings is, in fact, that type of player, is what Walsh and company may have misread.
Bottom line is that I was under the impression that Walsh was hired so that he could handle all the basketball operations without interference. But, obviously, he does have to answer to ownership.
</td> <td width="99%"><table width="100%" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td>Dolan Too Involved with Front Office?</td> </tr> <tr> <td>By Tommy Dee - Dec 10, 2009 8:34 am</td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> </tr> </tbody></table> Via Isola:
??As the Knicks president, Walsh is ultimately responsible for the pick and yet he continues to hint that part of the problem lies within the scouting department he inherited. Mark Hughes, Rodney Heard, Walker D. Russell and Steve Yoder were all hired by Thomas. Russell, in fact, was believed to be one of Jennings? strongest advocates.
Dick and Scott McGuire are the longest-tenured scouts going back to the ?90s. Walsh?s hires were Ben Jobe, John Gabriel and Misho Ostarcevic, who runs the department. Walsh reportedly has been interested in hiring Chris Mullin, Billy King or Billy Knight as GM, but it is believed that Garden chairman James Dolan doesn?t want to add front-office staff. According to a source, Dolan vetoed Walsh?s plans to bring in George Felton as a scout last summer.
In a recent interview with SI.com, Walsh hinted that ownership wouldn?t allow him to revamp the front office.
?I could have hired some amazing people,? Walsh told SI.com. ?But there are some things you can?t ask the owner to do, and that?s eat some of these (front-office and scouting department) numbers.?
That Dolan would be loyal toward Thomas? hires is not surprising. Dolan continues to maintain a relationship with Thomas, the former Knicks coach and president who is now coaching Florida International University. Dolan dined with Thomas and invited him to be his guest for the Knicks? season opener in Miami on Oct. 28.
When Walsh was hired to run the Knicks, it was Dolan who insisted that Thomas have a role in the organization. Thomas was eventually reassigned to a consulting position, and according to a team source, had Thomas not accepted the FIU job he would have remained employed by the Knicks??
Walsh himself admitted that because the scouting department was already in existence he didn?t want to bring in more salary, which to me says that the owner has him on a budget. That makes sense. Dick and Scott McGuire are the longest-tenured scouts going back to the ?90s. Walsh?s hires were Ben Jobe, John Gabriel and Misho Ostarcevic, who runs the department. Walsh reportedly has been interested in hiring Chris Mullin, Billy King or Billy Knight as GM, but it is believed that Garden chairman James Dolan doesn?t want to add front-office staff. According to a source, Dolan vetoed Walsh?s plans to bring in George Felton as a scout last summer.
In a recent interview with SI.com, Walsh hinted that ownership wouldn?t allow him to revamp the front office.
?I could have hired some amazing people,? Walsh told SI.com. ?But there are some things you can?t ask the owner to do, and that?s eat some of these (front-office and scouting department) numbers.?
That Dolan would be loyal toward Thomas? hires is not surprising. Dolan continues to maintain a relationship with Thomas, the former Knicks coach and president who is now coaching Florida International University. Dolan dined with Thomas and invited him to be his guest for the Knicks? season opener in Miami on Oct. 28.
When Walsh was hired to run the Knicks, it was Dolan who insisted that Thomas have a role in the organization. Thomas was eventually reassigned to a consulting position, and according to a team source, had Thomas not accepted the FIU job he would have remained employed by the Knicks??
Ultimately, Walsh probably should have cleaned house, but you have to wonder who?s decision that was. A source close to the team who I?ve spoken to assured me that the team wasn?t in the market for a ?ball dominating? guard on draft night, as the offense is predicated on pick and roll and ball movement and that Walsh and Mike D?Antoni see Jordan Hill as a prospect who can knock down shots and be athletic in the pick and roll.
Whether Jennings is, in fact, that type of player, is what Walsh and company may have misread.
Bottom line is that I was under the impression that Walsh was hired so that he could handle all the basketball operations without interference. But, obviously, he does have to answer to ownership.
