If there's any buzz surrounding the Nets these days--that is, other than the possibility of losing Jason Kidd--it's their Jay-Z-backed move to Brooklyn. But as George Vecsey writes in The New York Times, that's "not such a slam dunk after all":
The ownership is still talking of moving into an arena at the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, but shovels are not in the ground, and the planned opening at the start of the 2009-10 season has now been pushed back sometime into that season.
[...]
The Nets could always detour to the new Prudential Center in downtown Newark, with its potential for an urban renaissance of live human beings on foot seeking out restaurants and transit.
The Knicks are also rumored to be after a new home. Vecsey has them piggybacking on the new Penn Station that's currently in the works. However, given the state of the Knicks and MSG, it's doubtful that any respectable operation wants anything to do with them. In fact, that might be the real fallout from the whole MSG Legal Disaster: Even if wins can clean up the image in the mind of fans and journalists, the corporate world might be a little harder to reprogram.
Three days before jury selection began in Anucha Browne Sanders' sexual harassment trial, Garden chairman James Dolan overruled Isiah Thomas and at least one other high-ranking Garden official and decided not to reach a settlement with Browne Sanders.
According to a source close to the case, Thomas, his attorneys and a Garden official felt a settlement would spare Thomas and the Knicks an embarrassing trial that could cost the franchise more than just monetary damages.
To be fair, it wasn't Isiah's money. But like Dolan is short on funds. This is all about what the article calls Dolan's "refusal to back down from a public fight, no matter how messy it gets." If David Stern wanted proof of the man's incompetence, here it is; true, Isiah wanted to save his own reputation, but he also got that this could sully the organization. Out of arrogance, stubbornness, or megalomania, Dolan just didn't see this making a difference. He gave the fans that little credit.
With the Knicks set to open their season tonight, and the Zach Randolph era on the horizon, things could be so much easier for this organization. It could be back in the halcyon days of wondering whether Isiah's latest scheme would make basketball sense. Instead, it's praying for immediate returns that will quickly, smoothly heal all the wounds caused by this summer.
"... What I said then was it was still under consideration, that there were many issues having to do with understanding the transcripts, understanding what exactly the jury did and what role a further appeal should play in considering this. And further, I said that I wanted to discuss this with the [NBA] board of governors.
"The headline said 'Stern not taking any action,' but the article will be searched in vain to find me saying that. Now that has been picked up as a fact because it appeared in a New York Times headline."
Wow. All we needed was one more great New York institution tarnished by this sordid affair.
I doubt there will be any last repercussions for the paper, but certainly this is bad news for the MSG principals. If anything, this shows that Stern is seriously considering the option, something that at one point seemed like a longshot.
So today, Skeets pointed me toward this anti-Dolan petition. J.E. believes it "will far and away exceed the goal of 19,763 signatures." I agree, but don't think even a million signatures would make a difference.
For one thing, it's the internet. Names all seem faked, even if they aren't, and a large percentage of them have nothing to do with New York. They have never directly given money to the Knicks, MSG, or Cablevision, and won't ever be in a position to do so. As long as this thing is open to everyone, it might as well be a compilation of message board outrage.
But let's say it took place in the real world, and was circulated around NYC. How many (verifiable) signatures would it take for it to matter? I honestly have no idea. Every time I come up with a figure, I remember how huge that city's population is. As Watson pointed out, all that's going to make a difference here is the signature of season ticket-holders. I'd take that one step further: Until they've non-signed their renewal orders, all this discontent is idle chatter.
It's easy to watch this MSG Legal Disaster unfold and assume that James Dolan must be some kind of business ninkenpoop. But actually, it may be quite the opposite.
Sure, the misogynist environment he allegedly allowed to thrive under his watch has resulted in one $11.6 million decision levied against him (and possibly millions more as the lawsuits keep coming), but in the big picture, he still knows how to bring in some serious bank. From a Newsweek article, which debunks the idea that papa Charles Dolan will replace his son:
Although Jimmy Dolan may be thought of as the pariah of New York sports, that characterization is one-dimensional. In fact, he plays an integral role in the cable-and-entertainment empire called Cablevision, of which the Garden is just the tail wagging the elephant. Founded by his father-who in 1972 created the first pay channel, HBO-it is one of the largest cable operators in the country, with almost $6 billion in annual revenue. The company is widely credited with pioneering the paradigm-shifting innovation of the "triple play": offering phone calls, Internet connections and interactive television all on the same high-speed, broadband lines.
Did you read that? Six billion in revenue. All of a sudden it makes the Knicks $120 million payroll pale in comparison, not to mention the paltry $11.6 million that Anucha Browne Sanders got. His sports endeavors get the most media play because, well, sports are a fun little diversion, but it's clearly not where his fortunes are made or lost.
It's not the most surprising tidbit of news you'll read today, but here's confirmation from a couple of people in the know that Isiah Thomas had better make the most of his current situation with the Knicks -- from the NY Daily News:
"Once (James) Dolan is done with him, he'll never get another job in a thousand years," said an Eastern Conference executive. "The sex harassment case was the last nail in the coffin for him. Nobody will touch him. Look, the only reason he has a job now in the first place is because of Dolan." [...] "This does not come off his resume," said a second Eastern Conference executive. "Owners in this league can't touch him. First off, think of your corporate sponsors and how many companies that do business with teams that now have women in high places. They won't want to do business with a team that has Isiah as their president. And what network will want to hire Isiah? He's killed his TV career, too."
Honestly, I have to think Zeke's basketball career was nearing an end even before the lawsuit made him radioactive. His track record as a personnel man alone is enough to blackball him from the league -- what type of owner would even think about putting Thomas in charge of a payroll? He hasn't been quite as much of a failure as a coach, but he's certainly not ideal "face of the franchise" material anymore, to say the least.
What's funny, though, is that I could see him hanging on with the Knicks for at least another year or so -- the roster is in better shape today than it was a year ago (assuming, of course, that Eddy Curry isn't hurt too badly), and a .500 record (likely enough to earn a playoff berth in the East) really isn't that far out of the question.
The league often sanctions team personnel for criminal conduct but has not intervened in civil cases. Stern explained the distinction by saying that jury findings in civil lawsuits could be subjective, whereas in criminal trials, "there is a clear verdict of guilt or innocence."
"So we're focusing on what is appropriate here - what's appropriate as a litigation matter, what's appropriate as a factual matter and what's appropriate as the N.B.A.'s policy," he said.
The Commish made it clear that he takes sexual harassment seriously, and that as a whole, the league is educated on sensitivity. Interestingly, he also remarked that he didn't think the Knicks verdict had any league-wide implications. Which, if I may read between the lines, means that franchise is pretty much dead to him. It's no longer even a fallen flagship. Of course, he could still be making moves behind the scenes, so stay tuned.
You know, in retrospect, this might actually have been good for the NBA. Stern's right--it mostly just makes MSG look bad, a corporate entity that extends above and beyond the Knicks themselves. Even the most hysterical columnists will have trouble saying this augurs the death of the league.
So yesterday, I wrote about Isiah's secret role in one of the country's premier popcorn companies. Sports Biz now has the tale of T.T. Buds, a popcorn imprint looking to capitalize on Thomas's downfall:
They are "rolling out a guerilla effort to take on the popcorn's goliath," Dale & Thomas' Popcorn and Popcorn, Indiana, which of course is owned in part by Isiah Thomas. Yesterday, I talked about how little Thomas was featured on the company Web site. Well, the guys at T.T. Buds are looking to take advantage of Thomas being held liable for sexual harassment earlier this week.
Hence the new logo for T.T. Buds, which you see to your right. The subtlety is positively deafening.
But that's not even the best part of the story. Despite his (newly?) minimal role in Dale and Thomas', he was apparently--I promise, I'm not making this up--"the spokesman for the Popcorn Board's National Poppin' Popcorn Month," which happens to be October. T.T. Buds has launched a campaign to get Isiah Thomas dethroned from this lofty perch, in hopes of getting themselves stuck in his place. When Sports Biz's Darren Rovell's called the Popcorn Board, he was told that Thomas "was not put in that role this year." And so the ax of cunning falls across one man's cold neck.
Who would've thought that this business was so ruthless? Forget the Tim Donaghy mob film; I want to see a Scorcese joint about Isiah's travels in the popcorn underworld.
[James Dolan] has no plans of dismissing the Knicks president/coach any time soon, according to team sources.
[...]
Upon arriving in Charleston yesterday afternoon, Thomas said he's not worried about job security, though Dolan will not make his annual trip to their training camp home of 16 years. An NBA source said the league will lay off, too, as it does not dabble in civil lawsuits.
As someone who spends all day watching the NBA news cycle, I'm a little disappointed. And as a fan of the NBA, and a half-hearted proponent of social justice.
But what remains to be seen is if this has any lingering effect on the Knicks in the eyes of players, coaches, and other potential employees. Whether or not the NBA officially censures the MSG gang, any sane human being is going to think twice before taking a job in that dysfunctional environment. Or the Knicks could just throw excessive money at them and hope that strategy heals all wounds.
Talk about "I told you so." From the 
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