Knicks · Dolan expects to win now...This Season!!! (page 1)

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NEW YORK -- Not many pundits believe the New York Knicks can win the NBA title this season.

But team owner and Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan expects them to do so.

In a recent meeting with the coaching staff and some team executives, Dolan said he believes the Knicks have enough talent to win a title and that he expects them to do so this season, league sources with knowledge of the owner's message during the meeting confirmed.

"He told them he believes they have enough talent to win it all," one source said, "and he expects it to happen this year."

The Knicks won 54 games last season, finished in second place in the Eastern Conference and won a playoff series for the first time in 13 years.

But many teams in the upper crust of the conference improved in the offseason.

The Chicago Bulls have 2010-11 league MVP Derrick Rose back after he missed last season following ACL surgery. The Brooklyn Nets added veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to a deep roster, and the Indiana Pacers -- who defeated the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs -- added Luis Scola and expect to have forward Danny Granger back.

Due largely to salary cap restrictions, the Knicks had a quiet offseason relative to those teams. They added 7-foot sharpshooter Andrea Bargnani, re-signed reigning Sixth Man Award winner J.R. Smith and signed free agents Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih.

Based on those offseason moves, many NBA pundits predict that the Knicks will finish no higher than fifth in the East.

That's why, according to sources, Dolan's expectations left some staffers in the meeting with an uneasy feeling.

"A few people were a bit surprised, taken aback. But he's the owner. He has a right to expect it," one source said.

The meeting was first reported by the New York Daily News.

It's certainly understandable that Dolan would expect New York to win a title this season. The Knicks, who last won it all in 1973, have the second-highest payroll in the league behind the Nets, according to basketball-reference.com.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, incidentally, expects his team to win it all this season as well.

For what it's worth, Knicks coach Mike Woodson has said several times that he thinks the Knicks have enough talent to compete for a title. But Dolan's expectation could put additional pressure on the coach, the players and team executives this season.

An added layer to Dolan's title expectation is that the owner wanted to employ younger players at the end of the roster.

According to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking, Dolan directed the front office to keep younger players with the final roster spots so that they can develop within the organization.

Some members of the team's hierarchy had hoped to keep veteran players in the last three roster spots, particularly if the expectation is for the Knicks to win now.

Ultimately, New York kept three training camp invitees on the 15-man roster: 23-year-old guard Toure' Murry, 26-year-old guard Chris Smith, the younger brother of J.R. Smith, and 24-year-old center Cole Aldrich. They cut 30-year-old veteran forwards Ike Diogu and Josh Powell.

this is just given them a true reason to fire woodson even if he wins 50+ games

What else is he supposed to say?

Plus that should be our goal and IF everything breaks right--- we could win it.

Expects to win title this year but forces team to waste roster spot on Chris Smith......

It may be opening day but Dolan's idiocy is in mid-season form

That's why Dolan hired Mills . Not easy being a Knicks fan.

Woodson already scaled back his own expectations from championship to winning the division and for good reason. Dolan's only goal is to sell tickets under the illusion that this is a championship caliber team

this guy wants to bring back Isiah in the worst way...lookiing for any reason to fire Mike and reunite the old crew (Mills, Dolt-an, and Zeke)

If this team doesn't do well this season, expect it to be a fire sale with players departing coaches getting fired and Dolan/Mills selling the fans we are going in a different direction and starting from scratch.

^That would be awesome. Just jump start the process. Why wait til 2015?

So much for Dolan wanting to trade Shump for vets ...

Dolan wins his first playoff series in thirteen years and now he gets all cocky!

Like Gust said, it's hard being a Knick fan!

i guess this is why he fired the gm? he figured he didn't need a competent GM anymore since we should be all set?

sigh...

dolan is a drug abuser,

this is characteristic drug abuse behavior,

he had one good season and now he feels he can run the funhouse again, just like a drug guy being sober for a little and he thinks to himself: "see, i can do it!, now i will shoot some dope to celebrate!"

You are already counting the Knicks out. Wow, so many losers.

Knicks won last night. We are tied for 1st in the East, ahead of the Nyets and Miami. Just saying.

IronWillGiroud wrote:dolan is a drug abuser,

this is characteristic drug abuse behavior,

he had one good season and now he feels he can run the funhouse again, just like a drug guy being sober for a little and he thinks to himself: "see, i can do it!, now i will shoot some dope to celebrate!"

this post is another good reason to be a drug user and not abuser. Remember kids... dont get *too* wasted, you will end up an a-hole like Dolan

Who cares what pundits or Dolan says?

play ball

helloharv wrote:What else is he supposed to say?

You look a bit less delusional if you say you expect to contend this year rather than win a championship. Even if a team has the best roster, there are still way too many factors involved to just say you expect to win it all.
Lebron's the only one who can say he expects specifically to win it all this year without looking delusional. If you're coming off a repeat championship, that's another story.

gunsnewing wrote:^That would be awesome. Just jump start the process. Why wait til 2015?

2015 is a myth... but I agree, jump start the process now!!

misterearl wrote:Who cares what pundits or Dolan says?

folks in here, apparently. I just can't wait for the first Metta/JD incident.

and there are folks who wonder why Dolan has the most draconian rules about talking to the media? NY media is a circus and for no other reason than to promote themselves.