New York Knicks to Confirm Donnie Walsh’s Return?


The NY Post reports that the announcement could come this week from the Knicks regarding Walsh’s status: “They tell me both guys are coming back,’ [John Calipari] stated. ‘Then again, they also told me the Knicks were going to get LeBron James.’ It’s unnecessary to ask who ‘they’ are. It’s well-known they are CAA’s talent-hoarding force field, agents Leon Rose and Wes Wesley. Wide World Wes kinda ‘represents’ Calipari in that the NBA Players Association sorta insists negotiators pick up commissions exclusively from players or coaches, not both. Because of the increasingly cozy relationship between [James] Dolan’s Camp Cablevision and CAA’s posh clients, Rose and Wesley would be privy to such classified information and, in Calipari’s circumstance, have a need to know it. If that’s the case — and undeniably it is — then why haven’t the Knicks announced Walsh is being retained for next season and beyond, which all but automatically assures [Mike] D’Antoni of being on the sidelines for at least the final year of his contract? Why the delayed announcement? Because the give and take was not completed until last week, I’m informed. Late changes were made by [Donnie] Walsh and approved by Dolan. Once Camp Cablevision’s required ‘six signatures’ (I don’t think my source was being facetious) are on the dotted line, apparently sometime this week, the deal will be done, if not publicized. Clearly, the new arrangement will give Walsh the control to finish the Knicks’ renovation the way he sees fit. If there was any uncertainty about that it would have demonstrated Dolan did not want him back. That would have shoved Walsh into retirement. Instead, Walsh has major decisions to make, starting with D’Antoni’s lame duck status. Will he extend his contract a year to ward off the compulsion of players to exploit a coach’s inherent/amplified insecurity and paranoia? I seriously doubt that’s in the offering.”