by KnicksTweets contributor Ralph Guerrero:

So Donnie Walsh is stepping down as President of Basketball Operations of the New York Knicks.  He will be retained as a consultant for the next year.  A consultant?  Really?  The man who stripped millions of dollars off the books?   The man who made putrid contracts disappear like his name was Houdini.  The man who saved the Knicks from salary cap hell.   Yet because he wanted to be assured that he was really calling the shots; now he is relegated to the “consultant” title? (more…)

With Alan Hahn reporting that the Knicks and Donnie Walsh are “still talking about” a contract extension, we’d like to ask James Dolan:

Why isn’t it done yet?

What is taking so long?

What else does he have to do?

However, there is a major flaw to this line of questioning.  From most accounts, there is a two year contract currently on the table.  The question is does Donnie want to accept it? (more…)

Via The Sporting News:

Asked if he’s still pulling some strings with the Knicks and biding his time until an eventual return to the organization, Thomas told Sporting News, “As far as my friendship with Jim Dolan, I want him to do well and I want the Knicks to do well. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do it. If asked, yes, I’ll help.”…

“I think now that you have Stoudemire and Anthony,” Thomas said on Friday, “it’s a very, very attractive place because you have two legitimate superstars, arguably two of the top 20 stars in the game. To attract a third player from that list would be a goal, I’m sure.”

There are those who have been waiting for this for a long time.  Some New Yorkers are so excited to see Carmelo Anthony play in a Knicks uniform, they can barely contain themselves.  Others think that the Knicks gave up too much, or that this trade will lead to Isiah Thomas replacing Donnie Walsh.  Reactions from New Yorkers about the Knicks’ big acquisition of superstar forward Carmelo Anthony, though mostly positive, have varied more than one might expect.

There are those that, despite the arrival of one of the best players in the NBA, believe that this move hurt the Knicks now and for the future, and that there are nothing but headaches to come for the franchise.  Still, television, sports talk radio, and other local and national media have been covering and debating this trade for the past 36 hours.  And it has been all that New Yorkers have talked about on the streets or at the water coolers for the last day and a half.  Whether you think this trade is good for the Knicks or not, there is an excitement about what has happened and what it will mean that has created a basketball buzz not seen in this city for quite a while.  There is no doubt that whatever may come in the future in the way of trades, free-agent acquisitions, playoff wins or losses, basketball in New York City is back!!

This reeked of Zeke.  Any Knick fan who recalls the Isiah Thomas era (though most have tried to block it out), could see the resemblance the Carmelo Anthony trade had to those made during Thomas’ time with New York.  The unloading of young talent and draft picks for a big name.  The willingness to give away more and more, without saying enough is enough.  Then of course, there is the inclusion of Renaldo Balkman in the deal, a player Thomas drafted and loved. (more…)

By David Duchovny via GQ:

“The fact is that the Knicks have not done a lot of winning in their franchise history. But they had these few legendary teams in the late ’60s and early ’70s that played beautiful basketball—that created this identification of N.Y.C. as a basketball town. It’s remembered as being the Camelot of the NBA. (At least by New Yorkers.) And then, of course, there’s the tradition of New York being an incubator for great players and street innovations in the game, going back to Connie Hawkins, Dr. J, Bernard King, and Nate Archibald. There were a lot of special players coming out of the playgrounds of New York. When the Knicks are relevant, you hear it in the streets. People want to talk about basketball, but they haven’t in ten years or so. The past decade has just been “Knicks suck,” “I hate Isiah.” But I think this squad’s a playoff team. I’m excited that they’re finding an identity. When New York basketball becomes a joke, a debacle, it just doesn’t feel right. The Nets can be a joke, it’s okay. And I hate to say it, but the Mets can be a joke, it’s okay. But if the Yankees or the Knicks are a joke? It’s not okay.”

Knicks fans thought they could sleep well at night knowing the man in charge of the Carmelo Anthony negotiations, Donnie Walsh, was a seasoned veteran with a history of sound decision-making.  It seems, however, that they might indeed have reason to lose some sleep.

Isiah Thomas has seemingly confirmed that he’s been advising Knicks owner James Dolan on personnel moves, especially with respect to Carmelo Anthony.  We all know that Dolan has a great relationship with Thomas.  How much Dolan will take his opinion into account, especially if it contradicts that of Walsh, is anyone’s guess.  But its enough to make Knicks fans worry that the wrong person is now in control of the team’s personnel decisions.

A front office executive who was still wet behind the ears (Isiah Thomas, anyone?) would have jumped at the opportunity to acquire a star such as Carmelo Anthony, no matter what the cost.  The inexperienced exec would be so overwhelmed with the thought of making a move to bring another superstar to their team that they would do whatever was necessary, including trading away good young talent and mortgaging the team’s future by trading draft picks without protecting them (Eddy Curry, anyone?).  The team trading the superstar would say “jump” and the clueless exec would ask “How high?”  (more…)

It is no secret that the NBA has a stronger brand when the bigger market teams, especially the Knicks, are championship contenders.  So it is no surprise that longtime NBA Commissioner David Stern would support anything or anyone that would bring the Knicks back to where they were in the 1990′s.  He was a big supporter of the Knicks hiring Donnie Walsh a few years back, and Stern has gone out of his way to persuade James Dolan to keep him in New York for at least another year.

It seems the only person who isn’t 100% convinced that Donnie Walsh is a far better front office man for this team that Isiah Thomas is James Dolan (and maybe Isiah Thomas).  For the sake of the Knicks’ future, maybe he’ll listen to reason from David  Stern.

Via NY Daily News:

Garden chairman James Dolan is taking a more active role in the Knicks‘ pursuit of Carmelo Anthony and has had direct negotiations with Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke, the Daily News has learned.

According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Dolan’s decision to become more involved in the Anthony trade talks is a sign that the Knicks are closing in on a deal for the All-Star forward….

Dolan’s involvement also suggests that former Knicks president Isiah Thomas is likely advising him. The News reported last August that Thomas had told Dolan that he’d received assurances from Anthony that he only wanted to play for the Knicks.

Not sure about the Isiah angle, which Isola loves to push, but this is interesting nonetheless.