標籤: Dolan

The New York Knicks got back into the win column on Wednesday with a road win over the Utah Jazz, but it still wasn’t an inspiring win over a tank opponent. Previously, the Knicks had suffered two consecutive uncompetitive losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers on their West Coast trip, and the team is currently in third place in the Eastern Conference.

One person who believes the Knicks have everything they need to compete for a championship this year is none other than team owner James Dolan, who has put the organization on notice with his bold comments recently.

“We want to go to the finals,” Dolan said, per WFAN via ESPN.com’s Vincent Goodwill. “And we must win the final. This is sport and anything can happen. But to reach the final, we definitely have to do that.”

Many speculated that the Knicks might try to shake things up at last month’s NBA trade deadline amid a difficult stretch for the team, but it seems New York is mostly back on track since then, with emphatic wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets last week being some of the highlights of the season.

On paper, the Knicks have as much talent as anyone, and they’ve made several win-now moves over the past few seasons to build their roster into a contender. However, concerns still remain regarding the team’s two best players, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, both of whom have been markedly negative on the defensive side of the ball, and most recently, there have also been major questions raised about Mikal Bridges’ reliability to perform with consistency in what has been a disastrous road trip for him.

The Knicks will hope they are able to get back to form before the NBA Playoffs, which begin in just over a month.

There is a possibility that Madison Square Garden Sports CEO James Dolan is taking steps to split the New York Knicks and Rangers, the city’s NBA and NHL teams, into two separate publicly traded companies.

Reports have emerged that MSG’s board of directors has approved a plan to “rediscover its hockey and basketball clubs” (via The New York Times).

If this occurs, the Knicks and their G League team, the Westchester Knicks, will become a separate company from the Rangers and their minor league team, the Hartford Wolf Pack, will similarly be spun off into a separate company.

Still, nothing is “guaranteed to happen” and “there is no timeline in mind to complete this move.” Therefore, fans will have to keep an eye on the situation.

“We are exploring the opportunity to create value for our shareholders by separating our two professional sports franchises into separate companies,” Dolan said in a statement, via The New York Times. “Both the Knicks and Rangers are dominant teams in their respective leagues, with storied histories and large and passionate fan bases.

He further added, “We believe this proposed transaction will provide each company with greater strategic flexibility, its own defined business focus and clearer attributes for investors.”

Will James Dolan and Madison Square Garden split the Knicks and Rangers?

While Madison Square Garden’s board approved the plan, there were other factors involved. Both the NBA and NHL would have to approve the move. The New York Times also notes that “There are other views.”

Regarding the reason for this, some are speculating that such a move would make it “easier” for Dolan to sell one of the franchises. In 1994 the Dolan family became minority owners of the franchise. Shortly thereafter, he became the majority owner.

Dolan is adamant that he has no interest in selling teams. However, he and MSG executives have stated their interest in selling a minority stake.

Another possible reason for the move, as The New York Times notes, is that it could serve as a “precursor” to making the Knicks and Rangers privately traded teams. They are both currently publicly traded.