Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2019-07-29)

BloombergBusinessweek July 29, 2019

people who feel they have a vested interest in the success of

the company, even though it’s not their company,” he says.

“It’s Jim’s company.”

Abraham says that Dave Checketts, who was running MSG

and the Knicks when Dolan took control of the team, gave him

some good advice. “When you need to disagree with Jim, it’s

better to do it in public”— say, at a restaurant—to get around

“the volcanic nature” of his temper.

Checketts had hired Abraham, and once Checketts left there

was no buffer between himself and Dolan. The relationship,

Abraham says, was cordial: “He owned the company, so I had

respect for that.” Once, during a disagreement, Abraham tried

to make a point. He told his boss to imagine that the two of them

were in a car that Dolan owned. “‘ I want to make a left turn,

you want to make a right turn,’ ” he recalls saying. “‘It’s your

car. We know we’re going to make a right turn. All I’m asking is

for you to explain to me why you want to make a right turn so

I understandyourthinking.’” Dolan, he recalls, said nothing.

“He looked at me as if I was speaking Martian. He absolutely

could not fathom what I was trying to ask him. And I think peo-

plelikethat,theycan’tseehowtobuildanorganizationorhow

tobuilda spiritinanorganization.Theyjustdon’thavethe

acumen and the perspective to do it.”

ARGUABLY, DOLAN’S MOST INFAMOUS QUAL-

ity is his dislike of the media, especially the beat writers who

cover his team. Almost from the moment he took over, report-

ers say, the atmosphere changed. Free access to players and

coaches was cut off. Media training—which as practiced by

the Knicks means learning how not to answer questions—was

mandated. Every conversation between a team employee and

a reporter,nomatterhowshortorinnocuous,wasrecordedby

a teamflack.“Itallgoesbacktohisparanoia,”Robertssays.“He

canfireemployees,buthehasa hellofa timefiring the media.

That’s probably the one thing that frustrates him the most.”

No outlet has irritated Dolan more than the Daily News.

49

FORTHERECORD

0 gamesintoownership 3,500

+800

Games*above

orbelow.500

+400

0

-400

-800

In terms of wins and losses, James Dolan’stenureasowneroftheNewYorkKnicksranks

among the least successful in the modernhistoryoftheNationalBasketballAssociation.

Andit'sgettingworse.——DavidIngold

Jerry Buss

● Lakers

Larry Miller

● Jazz

Mark Cuban

● Mavericks

Mickey Arison

● Heat

Glen Taylor

● Timberwolves

Jerry Reinsdorf

BillDavidson● Bulls

● Pistons

Herb Simon

● Pacers

Donald Sterling

● Clippers

Abe Pollin

● Wizards

Herb Kohl

● Bucks

Chris Cohan

● Warriors

Lawrence Tanenbaum

● Raptors, ’18-’19 champions

Owners prior to Dolan

● Knicks

James Dolan

● Knicks

PeterHolt

● Spurs

RecordsofNBAteamownerssincethe 1976-’77 season

Current owners Past owners

*INCLUDING PLAYOFFS. DATA: NBA, BASKETBALL-REFERENCE.COM, BLOOMBERG REPORTING

PaulAllen

● Blazers