Even by the standards of James Dolan’s nightmarish reign over the New York Knicks, 2006 was a dark year. Some argue it marked the worst chapter in the team’s storied (and often turbulent) history. Just nine days before Christmas that season, Dolan’s Knicks found themselves embroiled in a fight with the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden. The extensive melee would become the largest on-court brawl in the NBA since the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons brawled during Malice at the Palace. That December night in 2006, basketball fell to its most primitive state: disjointed men exchanging blows instead of passes, prioritizing violence over victory. The Garden, once Eden, had become a bacchanal of banality, with Dolan his Caligula.
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The degradation on display that night embodied the chaos of Dolan’s reign. Statistically, there were worse seasons under Dolan’s administration, such as the 17-65 teams in 2014-2015 and 2018-2019. But the 2006 Knicks were an existential disaster on and off the court. After just one season, Hall of Famer Larry Brown was fired as head coach. Their putrid 23-59 record was the worst in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks’ payroll for the 2005-2006 season was $124 million: an impressive $74.5 million over the salary cap and $62.3 million over the luxury tax.
Worse yet, Dolan was shelling out millions for failed “names” long past their prime, like Steve Francis and Jalen Rose. The cold perception the league and NBA fans have of Dolan continues to this day, and it’s easy to see why, given his well-earned reputation as a petty autocrat. known for kicking out the fans that require you to sell the equipment, ban lawyers in litigation against himand use of facial recognition software at MSG to exclude rivalsDolan’s thin skin and symbiotic friendships have repeatedly compromised the integrity of his business. Her decade-long affair with Isiah Thomas, who was accused of sexual harassment by a Knicks executiveembodied the worst of his leadership, while incidents like the 2017 altercation with franchise legend Charles Oakley – who was tackled and eliminated over Dolan’s safety, sparking a public dispute, only deepened the franchise’s dysfunction. Oakley still refuses to return to Madison Square Garden without an apology from Dolan.
But it was the situation around Thomas that was the most depressing point of Dolan’s reign. Anucha Browne Sanders, a former New York Knicks executive who pioneered as one of the highest-ranking women in the NBA, became the central figure in a landmark legal battle that exposed deep dysfunction within the organization. In January 2006, just days after his abrupt firing, Browne Sanders filed a harrowing harassment lawsuit against Thomas, then the team’s head of basketball operations, and Madison Square Garden. The lawsuit alleges that Thomas subjected her to continuous harassment since December 2003, when she joined the organization. The lawsuit also accuses Madison Square Garden of retaliating against her for speaking out, alleging that she was expelled under the guise of an “investigation” after her lawyer filed the complaint. Ultimately, a jury decided that MSG and Dolan should pay Browne Sanders $11.6 million in damages. Thomas did not face any criminal action over the allegations.
To his credit, Dolan was miles ahead of his peers when it came to hiring black executives and coaches. However, this also has its complexities, as many of the black leaders he has selected have proven to be questionable, not because of their race but because of their personal failings. The Knicks were the first team in NBA history with a black president of basketball operations, general manager and head coach: Steve Mills, Scott Perry and David Fizdale. But Mills and Fizdale were terrible in their roles. Fizdale posted a 21-83 record in parts of two seasons. Mills was fired after building an undersized power forward roster and failing to fulfill Dolan’s dream of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in the 2019 free agent bonanza. Not to mention Thomas served as president of basketball operations basketball, general manager and head coach while with the Knicks and was the worst in the NBA in all three during the 2000s.
It’s also important to note that Brown Sanders was one of the few African-American executives in professional sports, and Dolan dragged her reputation through the mud when she fought discrimination and sexual harassment. The buck has always ended with Dolan.
His father had handed him the team on a silver platter in 1999 and from then until 2020, the Knicks compiled a record of 693-997, the worst in the NBA during that period. And then a strange thing happened: Dolan became a semi-competent owner. 2020-21 was their first winning season since 2012-13 and the first time since then that they made the playoffs. They have made the playoffs in three of the last four seasons and are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference. 2020 is also the year Dolan hired Leon Rose, former agent and CAA talent agency executive, as president of basketball operations. In the four and a half seasons since Rose was hired, the Knicks have gone 188-151. If 2006 cemented Dolan’s reputation as the worst owner in the NBA, his decision to hire Rose to run the team in 2020 marked the moment he began to lose that title.
So what happened, after 20 years of micromanagement, for Dolan to step away from basketball decisions? You could point out the Las Vegas Spherehis innovative real estate project that allowed him to bring out his long-gestating creative side, one fronting his jazz band he couldn’t satisfy. Perhaps Dolan realized he needed a different type of president of basketball operations. Two famous names had been marked for him. The Phil Jackson era of 2014-2017, which Rose was then tasked with cleaning up, too closely mirrored the dysfunction of the Thomas era of 2003-2008. In both cases, Dolan was forced to step in and fire the man he named president of basketball operations and entrusted with the task of “saving” the Knicks.
Hiring Rose was risky. The move lacked the flashy name recognition of former NBA champions Thomas and Jackson. While Rose may not have arrived in New York with championship rings, he did possess better firsthand knowledge than anyone of how the Knicks have operated under Dolan. While leading CAA, Rose was the agent for many players who came to define the Knicks’ ineptitude and lack of foresight under Dolan. Rose was in the war room with Carmelo Anthony in 2011 when Dolan took over negotiations, offering up all of the team’s young depth to get him. He portrayed Renaldo Balkman, Andre Bargnani and Eddy Curry, each representing real-life memes of failed Knicks. He was in LeBron James’ ear as his agent when Dolan and company LeBron thrown awkwardly coming to New York in the summer of 2010.
The hiring of Rose revealed unusual restraint and foresight on Dolan’s part when it came to hiring someone who required patience. A hire without dynamism, just a plan, and that plan often involves bringing in players who suddenly shine when they join Rose’s Knicks. Jalen Brunson was a solid pro with the Dallas Mavericks; With the Knicks he has become one of the best players in the league and an MVP candidate. And former No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns is finally reaching his enormous potential after being traded for Julius Randle this summer.
The hiring of Rose will likely be remembered as Dolan’s best hire, a departure from the poor judgment he has displayed over the past two decades. Suddenly, there’s a calm around the Knicks: Rose mimics Dolan’s way of avoiding the press and almost always speaking via internal TV interviews at MSG media. Depending on who you ask, this can be seen as a good or bad thing: There are few outlandish statements that can unsettle a team, but it’s also harder for the media to demand answers from management.
Knicks fans hope Rose gets the long-awaited championship. If that happens, Dolan’s biggest victory would have been knowing when to get out of the way.