NFT: Isola: Dolan getting in Phil's way

In comment 11634564 kmed said:

Quote:

but you've changed your stance a bit as the season wore on. I remember debates we've had before this season or even early in the season in regards to you defending Dolan and saying that he's not so bad. You have no clue how far past personnel decisions this goes. The whole culture of how they do business is effed. It's not just a bad trade here and there, it's everything about how they run their team. It's not a coincidence that they have been an embarrassment for so long. Everything from media access to controlling EVERYTHING said, to mistreating employees, to agents running the show to people leaking info to writers, to players controlling everything and catering to players and everything in between. Isola has an agenda, but theres a reason he has it and he's taken a negative slant to every move the Knicks have made and yet he's been right 99% of the time. We can only pray that Phil Jackson has enough pull to completely overhaul how they do business at the Garden. If so, you will start to see some people write positive things.

Now you're just lying. I never ever ever defended Dolan. I said I question some of the downright horrible things the media has printed about Dolan. What I did defend was Dolan's penchant for spending money. Before every fucking take I would proclaim that at the very LEAST, Dolan had failed miserably as a 'win loss' owner in this town. At the very least I acknowledged that Dolan had failed due to bad hirings. Cmon man...who the fuck could actually defend Dolan's job here as owner? Go find me one post where I said this guy didn't fail in terms of wins and losses. You won't. What I questioned was how much of a monster this guy realy was or is. How the hell do we really know anything? All we know is the media hates this guy and the Knicks have lost a lot. He's an easy target, and rightfully so. But the Knicks did win 54 games last year. They did compete at a profession but mediocre level the year prior and yet the media still portrayed the Knicks as a circus. How come the Nets didn't get the same shit coverage? They did worse than the Knicks the last 2-3 years.

I'm done. If you can't pick up what i'm trying to convey that you simply don't want to. BElieve what you want.

I couldn't stand Isola; this year there was something monumentally awful going on in Knicks land, and it made all of his chicken little theories over the years sound like each and every one of them could have been true. Any benefit of the doubt has been removed from my mind in these negative reports because under absolutely no circumstances should a Carmelo Anthony lead team not make the playoffs without him being significantly hurt in a conference like this Eastern Conference. I do understand he is a shit stirrer, but with how bad things have been, who am I to say he is over-dramatizing anything?

but this is what I mean when I say you defend him...

Quote:

What I questioned was how much of a monster this guy realy was or is.

You have no clue how bad things are over there(or hopefully were before Phil Jackson). He is a tyrant, a control freak and the organization is a disaster. I've spoken to people that have worked there.

fairness Phil's quote doesn't really say much. How many basketball decisions have been made? Firing a shitty coaching staff? I think we expected that even if Jackson wasn't hired.

what is Isola talking about when he says that Dolan has already been meddling? Arent those the same non decisions that phil would be talking about?

Quote:

Everything from media access to controlling EVERYTHING said, to mistreating employees, to agents running the show to people leaking info to writers, to players controlling everything and catering to players and everything in between. Isola has an agenda, but theres a reason he has it and he's taken a negative slant to every move the Knicks have made and yet he's been right 99% of the time. We can only pray that Phil Jackson has enough pull to completely overhaul how they do business at the Garden. If so, you will start to see some people write positive things.

agreed, kmed...and my 6 mth old just spit up on my pants while typing this out...ADvantage KMED

or game over??! Thanks kid, I owe you one.

refer to this "story" that he wants Herb back. Gotta admit it's strange how Herb seemingly has a job for life. If he is brought back I have to believe that's from Dolan, wouldn't you?

Dolan has been true to his word so far...Isola says he ahsnt and has been meddling...who do you believe?

im just sick of the media using possible past events to disparage the knicks future.

with the NBA playoffs on. Do you think this would be so talked about if a NY team was actually in the NBA playoffs?

had the story of Dolan pushing Herb on Jackson, not Isola. Nobody else finds it strange Herb stays even when the HC changes? Clearly he has a cheerleader. Maybe Phil doesn't give a shit if Herb is the 4th assistant coach enough to complain about it. Just think if Herb Williams returns it's pretty clearly from Dolan.

that Dolan loves. Maybe he feels connected and it makes him feel better. Whats going on with Houston? Does Phil want to keep him around?

In the playoffs.

In comment 11634636 Italianju said:

Quote:

In the playoffs.

WHAT??? Truth?

was recently named the GM of the Dleague team (March 10th) which was during the Jackson decision time so if Houston were let go it would mean Jackson specifically didn't care for Houston. I suspect Houston will be back though.

In comment 11634631 kmed said:

Quote:

that Dolan loves. Maybe he feels connected and it makes him feel better. Whats going on with Houston? Does Phil want to keep him around?

There was a story i think in post about Warkentein being let go with Clarence Gaines being hired...Houston is up in the air...

In comment 11634622 djm said:

Quote:

im just sick of the media using possible past events to disparage the knicks future.

Exactly. We know about the fucking dysfunction. We know the guy is a clown. And we also know that Isola has his own personal battle going on with the Garden. So what exactly is the point of the article? To inform us fans? Bullshit. Its to drive conversation and get talking heads to bash the organization. How much more can that be done? There isn't a fan alive who thinks the Knicks have been run well or have had anywhere near an acceptable amount of success.

was still employed by the Knicks as of a few hours ago.

(not a Knick hater at all to my knowledge) implied today that Houston isn't highly thought of around the NBA.

and his relationship (as well as the relationship with other Knicks beat writers) with the Knicks.

Quote:

"I was friendly with Kurt Thomas, very friendly with him," Isola said, as "She's Gone" by Hall & Oates played in the background. "And Marbury hated Kurt Thomas. So any time I had a story, they were convinced that Kurt Thomas was telling me—to the point where Kurt was like, 'I know they're trading me in the off-season.' I said, 'A hundred percent.' Sure enough, they traded Kurt. And when they made the trade to bring Kurt back [last summer], I called him up and I said, 'I feel bad for you.' He said, 'Why?' I said, 'Well, first of all, you're going to get the phone call.' He goes, 'What do you mean, I'm gonna get the phone call?' I said, 'At some point, Supranowitz is going to call you up and tell you you really shouldn't be seen talking to me.' "So I was at the Olympics. And my phone rings at two o'clock in the morning, London time. It's Kurt Thomas, and he's giving me, 'Oh, look at you! They sent you over there. You're big time!' And I could tell he wanted to say something. So maybe like two minutes go by, and I say, 'What else is up?', and he said, 'Oh, I just wanted you to know, I got that phone call today.' Yeah, no kidding. I told him, I said, 'Kurt. Listen. You need to do what's best for you and for your family. You don’t ever want to talk to me, you don't have to. I'll be able to get stories anyway. Just worry about yourself. Because they're going to accuse you of telling me stuff.' That's the way they operate over there."

Deadspin - ( New Window )

In comment 11634702 DanMetroMan said:

Quote:

(not a Knick hater at all to my knowledge) implied today that Houston isn't highly thought of around the NBA.

Seems fair. He hasn't done anything as an exec.

Quote:

“You can get stale on the beat,” Isola continued. “I shouldn’t be doing it anymore after 12 years. If everything was status quo and if everything was great, I probably would be the wrong guy to have on it. But now I’m the right guy to have on it, because they’re trying to screw me over, and, by trying to screw me over, it kind of lights a fire in you a little bit. It makes you more motivated to find stuff out and expose what’s going on here.” I told him it sounded as if he was sticking around out of spite. “Absolutely,” he said. “They thought it would be the opposite—they thought they’d beat me down and run me off. I thank them for it.”

New York Observer (from 2007) - ( New Window )

to be clear I mean highly thought of as an exec, I didn't want to imply as a person.

Warkentein was possibly being let go with Gaines being hired..my mistake

made it sound like Warkentien is expected to be let go and Houston/Mills re-assigned but he was just guessing.

the front office is not a top priority...i think he hired Gaines to be his eyes and ears right now with Mills and Houston still hired...

didn't mean to blast you with the dumbest thing ever said on BBI, comment. That's a lofty achievement. I got worked up but all you really said was I am living in a fantasy land. Group hug.

Dolan is a turd. I can't defend even if I am not really trying to...if it sounds even a bit like a defense I need to stop. He's shite.