New York Knicks owner James Dolan said in a rare radio interview Monday that he’ll consider anything short of an NBA championship this season a disappointment.
“Yeah, we want to get to the finals and we should win the finals,” said Dolan, 70, who also owns the New York Rangers. “This is sports, this is business and anything can happen, but getting to the finals, we absolutely got to do. Winning the finals, we should win.”
Dolan made his comments in an interview with hosts Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle on WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM, his first media interview since January 2023.
Not only did Dolan say a championship is his goal for this team, but he also said the roster he currently has is good enough to pull it off, and that any major deals around the Feb. 5 trade deadline are unlikely. “This is the team,” he said.
“That’s what I think our plan is,” Dolan said.” I talk to Leon (Rose) every day, and nothing’s impossible. I won’t rule anything out. But who do you want to lose? You don’t get something without giving something.”
ESPN reported in December that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent were discussing his future, and that a trade to New York might be possible. Antetokounmpo, though, shut those conversations down and said he hasn’t talked to Bucks management about a trade.
Dolan also discussed the NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament that the Knicks won earlier this season. After the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the third rendition of the tournament, there was briefly some talk that the team might raise a championship banner. That was later refuted, with team sources telling The Athletic that winning an NBA title was the focus. Dolan reiterated that on Monday.
“I never had that thought. I would’ve thrown it away,” Dolan told Carton and McMonigle. “We want an NBA championship, we don’t want the consolation.
“We felt good about the NBA Cup. … To get a chance at midseason to try out what you’re going to be like at the end of the season, it was exciting. I was very proud of the guys that did a great job. We’re proud to have the Emirates Cup, but we’re going to hang a championship banner, a real banner.”
Dolan also briefly discussed the Tom Thibodeau firing, which came as a “mild surprise” to the ex-Knicks coach. Thibodeau, 67, coached the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 30 years and to consecutive 50-win seasons, which hadn’t happened since 1995. He also led the Knicks to three consecutive Eastern Conference semifinal appearances, which hadn’t happened since 2000.
“I won’t say you can’t win a title with Tom Thibodeau,” Dolan said. “I don’t necessarily know if that’s true. It’s just that if you want to build a long-term, competitive … you need somebody who’s much more of a collaborator than Tom was.
“He’s a great coach, so he had a reason to be surprised.”
Dolan wouldn’t address the chatter and ongoing discussion around the league about load management and the total-game threshold. Yet, he said his players are willing to play, and praised coach Mike Brown’s coaching style, aligning with playing most of a roster on a given night.
“I know all the players and they want to play,” Dolan said. “Whether we play 65 or 82 games, they want to play every game. One of the issues that Mike (Brown) has to deal with is that he has to bring guys up. … I expect that we’re going to see more of the bench.”