Early Tuesday afternoon, the Knicks found their way into the headlines again by parting ways with their President of Basketball Operations, Steve Mills. James Dolan was quoted saying “Steve and I have come to a decision that it would be best for him to leave his role as president of the New York Knicks.” Yes, I’m sure the conversation went just like that. This is a move that fans have been expecting and wanting for quite some time. Mills has had a tremendously long leash in his position thanks to James Dolan being as loyal as a St Bernard. In his tenure, the Knicks have been dreadful and a laughing stock of the entire NBA.
Obviously, me saying the Knicks have been dreadful is not a surprise to you guys, but the numbers just make it a little more real. Mills returned to the Knicks organization in 2013; the Knicks have a 178-365 record, a 32.78 winning perentage. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to go further into any other reasons why Mills lost his job today given that record.
The timing for the Knicks doing this is debatable. To be honest, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. The trade deadline is February 6 at 3:00 pm. It is a tough time to be without a President of Basketball operations. The Knicks do not have much to sell to other teams that will warrant a huge return but they do have some pieces they can sell off to get other assets and draft picks. Without someone in this position, it is hard for me to see them doing anything which would be concerning. Marcus Morris is a name on their roster who is playing so well this year that he can get the Knicks a first round pick in a trade, but will that happen now? My guess is no. Now, the reason I say they are stuck between a rock and a hard place is that if Mills stays in his position for the trade deadline and then they fire him, then you have a New York Jets situation where their GM spent $100 million dollars and then was fired.
The way the Knicks chose to handle this firing is the better of the two choices, but where do they go from here? Who is James Dolan going to entrust with his organization next? The hottest name in the news is Masai Ujiri from the Toronto Raptors. On the basis of his resume, Masai is the best person for this job, but it will cost the Knicks more than money. Given his current contract, the Knicks would have to compensate the Raptors with draft picks if Ujiri was to come to the Knicks; that just would not be in the best interest of the orgainzation. Woj and others have also reported that the Knicks search is moving too fast for Ujiri to be a realistic possibility. Can the Knicks pry Sam Presti away from the Oklahoma City Thunder? Are the Knicks going to go the new route of a former player agent? Or are they going to do something no one imagined they would do, that’s probably more likely. That’s a cheap shot at Knick fans, but let’s be honest, we all think it. However, if I was a betting man, my money would be on Sam Presti. Dolan is tired of hearing the chants to sell the team every time he steps foot in the garden; he can’t afford to not hire one of the best in the business.
