SB Nation New York Editor's Pick
Dedication To The Don
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 3, 2010 5:34 PM EDT
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Don- The head of an organized crime family. Donnie Walsh has rebuilt this team from the ground up and we don't give him enough credit for it. From 2008-Present he has been making moves putting us in the best position possible to make this franchise better. He has given us the opportunity to sign he who shall not be named and after being let down he bounced back with extraordinary deals that gave us something to be excited about. Lets take a look at The Don's years with the New York Knicks and everything he's accomplished. Just give it a read, no need to comment, Its a dedication! I've pulled out my photo editing bag of tricks for this one!
April 2nd- Donnie Walsh name President of Basketball Operations
April 18th- Head Coach Isiah Thomas fired
May 13th- Mike D'antoni named Head Coach
June 21st- Phil Weber and Dan D'antoni named Assistant Coaches
June 26th- Drafted Danilo Gallinari #6 Overall
July 10th- Chris Duhon signed
July 24th- Anthony Roberson signed
October 23rd- Third year option on Wilson Chandler and fourth year option on Mardy Collins exercised.
November 7th- Allan Houston named Assistant to the President of Basketball Operations
November 21st- Jamal Crawford traded to Warriors for Al Harrington
November 21st- Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins traded to the Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley
In Donnie's first year of business he immediately started slowly turning this franchise around. First order of business, fire Isiah Thomas. Who wasn't excited to see that guy split? After that wonderful move he worked his magic once again, landing Suns Head Coach Mike D'antoni. Getting D'antoni to come was huge, if we didn't land D'antoni would we have Amare? My guess is no. Amare loves the city but playing for D'antoni in his system played a bigger part then the city did in my opinion. He also drafted The Cock, everyone loves cock! When we drafted him I was stunned. Who? Look how he turned out, a nice young fella getting better by the second. Don't forget about how Donnie shipped away the products of Mr. Thomas. He began ridding this team of the rotting stench that Thomas left behind the second he stepped his foot in the door. He waited little time to get things done. Out with the old in with the new.
February 19th- Malik Rose and Cash traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Chris Wilcox
February 19th- Tim Thomas, Jerome James and Anthony Roberson traded to the Chicago Bulls for Larry Hughes
February 24th- Knicks buy out Stephon Marbury for 2.2M less of his original contact
June 25th- Acquired the Los Angeles Lakers 1st round pick (#29) for a 2011 2nd round pick and cash considerations
June 25th- Drafted Jordan Hill #8 Overall
June 25th- Drafted Toney Douglas #29 Overall
June 25th- Quentin Richardson and cash considerations traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Darko Milicic
December 19th- Jonathan Bender signed
Who's turn is it to take out the trash? Apparently it's Donnie Walsh's turn and he did a damn good job at it. Take a look at those names he's rid us of in 2009. Tim Thomas, Jerome James, Malik Rose etc. He may have took those items of garbage out to the dumpster but he's also invited some trash in our house as well. Jordan Hill, Larry Hughes, Chris Wilcox etc. These are the type of players that brings Francis The Vomiting Man back out of his cave but they served a greater purpose. Donnie knew these guys weren't gonna win us anything and they were basically pawns. Pieces to ditch at the first chance available. Bravo to him for drafting Toney Douglas though as he is the only worthy name on that 2009 list. Some of you may argue that Marbury wasn't trash but... He's rubbish and deserved the trash stamp! So 2009 was the year of the trash, we disposed of Isiah's trash but signed some garbage as well. If I ever have a cat I think I'll name it garbage, I like that.
February 17th- Darko Milicic traded for Brian Cardinal
February 18th- Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry traded to the Boston Celtics for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker and 2nd round pick
February 18th- Jared Jeffries, Larry Hughes, Jordan Hill, a right to swap 2011 1st round picks with Houston and a 2012 Top 5 protected 1st round pick traded for Tracy Mcgrady and Sergio Rodriguez
February 19th- Brain Cardinal waived
April 2nd- Earl Barron signed
April 5th- Cuttino Mobley waived
The Don got the job done for us in the beginning of 2010 coming up with two huge trades on the Trade Deadline. The Nate deal was essential since we came up with a hidden gem in Bill Walker. If Donnie didn't make that deal Bill Walker would still be a nobody in our minds and in the minds of the Celtics organization. Walker was basically thrown into the deal, same as Giddens. House was supposed to be the main prize but we discovered something far better which is why Walker is still a part of our roster and House isn't. Nice job pulling the trigger on that deal Donnie but wait, there's more! The Mcgrady deal was huge! We had to dump Jeffries somewhere if we wanted enough money to sign two max free agents this off season and Walsh rid us of that loser. Jerome James and Jared Jeffries both had to go, it was pivotal that they weren't a part of the Knicks after the trade deadline. He sprung, and i mean sprung into action and got rid of both of those epic failures. The Mcgrady and Nate trades were like buzzer beaters in Game 7 of the Finals, they were great moves by Donnie. We not only got rid of trash but we also got money for the free agency and Bill Walker in the process. Great first half for The Don, but things get even better!
Cyclops!
June 24th- Knicks draft Andy Rautins #38 and Landry Fields #39
July 8th- Amare Stoudemire signed to a 5 year contract worth 100M
July 8th- David Lee traded to Warriors for Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf and a 2012 2nd round pick
July 9th- Raymond Felton signed to a 3 year contract worth 25M, 3rd year non-guaranteed
July 13th- Timofey Mozgov signed to a 3 year contract worth 10M, only first year guaranteed
Look at what he have here, it isn't what we all originally wanted but its still quality additions that made me wet my knickers. When he who shall not be named decided to take his talents to south beach, The Don was watching a movie (1997's Hoodlum) but quickly put Plan B in action. Though Plan B may not be completely over and done with, here is what Walsh has currently snatched for us. 5 of these players can actually be a starting five as Turiaf, Amare, Randolph, Azibuike and Felton can be a successful lineup. Now add Mozgov and the pieces already on our team and you got yourself an upcoming contender. Not only has he gotten us these guys but we are still in the position to sign Carmelo Anthony. Lets say melo extends with Denver, ok that sucks but we still have money money money moooooney...MONEY! That being said, no matter how we do next season we'll have the money to get even better. Plus a bunch on non-guaranteed and expiring contracts for when Chris Paul and Deron Williams hit the market. We are in place to keep getting better and better. From we suck to holy f**k, Donnie we salute ya!
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i'm not actually going to read this
i’m just gonna rec it for the pictures. is that kosher cool?
by latrell chokewell on Aug 3, 2010 5:58 PM EDT reply actions
Cool pics, nice write up.. Donnie has serve us well considering our position when he first arrived
by Markis ThatGuy Jones on Aug 4, 2010 11:11 AM EDT reply actions
When Donnie first started his plan...
And traded Jamal and Z-Bo after we started out the season with a winning record (I believe we were 6-5, when he sprung the trades) I was heart-broken. I didn’t understand why he was throwing out 2 seasons for a pipe dream of getting Lebron. Even last season, I somehow thought we were going to have a solid team during training camp but I still just didn’t really understand the plan. Donnie had to build from the ground up and he cleaned house. Chandler and Curry are our only remaining players from two seasons ago. Now that we’e flexible for the next two years and he has made us extremely young, athletic, and capaple defensively, I understand that Donnie is a genius.
F*ck Pat Riley. Donnie Walsh = Executive of the Year
kind of agree
pat riley did the most obvious thing. donnie came through in the clutch. i thin exceutive award should only be given out once every 5 years or so though.
/// aighttho.com \\/// twitter.com/aighttho \\
He really is a genius.
He’s been making smart moves, moves some threats as well? How do you get GSW to give you those three for Lee? How do you get Felton to sign a 3 year deal, 3rd year Non-Guaranteed and that 3rd year is when Paul And Williams hit Free Agency? This guy has been extremely smart, its even looking like we had a good draft. If you look at these transactions its easy to see this guy is a animal at what he does.
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 4, 2010 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions
The New Knicks
Great post Mike; your usual extremely objective view that all of us at this site share. Gonna miss David, but we really did rob the Warriors. Donnie’s Plan B was a master stroke, a bit of genius. Wish we had MSG network up here in Maine. How many times do we play the Celtics?
awesome writeup
why do you have AR called Jock? I kinda like that knickname…
I am a fan of both the mets and knicks... so just kill me now.
Thats what I personally call him.
Only because if you listen to his interviews he answers questions like the stereotypical “Jock” would. Slow and Dull. Not to discredit the man though, he still wets my pants…
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 4, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
great summary of what has taken place this far
For those who have been callin for donnie’s head..this will shut them up.
Usually for ppl i know who claim Donnie walsh is terrible and stuck in garbage mode.. i say “from 80M over the cap to 34M under….in 2 years”
Toney does what the douglas do. And no one can do what he does b/c doing it without being Toney Douglas just doesnt make it do what it do
Thats exactly what I was intending to do.
Some (Even some Knick fans) say that Donnie has been horrible and since we didn’t get LBJ he’s a bust. That’s a ridiculous statement. He did everything he could which is put us in the position to get the guy but at the end of the day it was up to LBJ, he didn’t come and our Plan B has given us confidence still. We still have options with the next few steps we take and my faith is in Walsh, I trust him.
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 4, 2010 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Conspiracy
It could be wishful thinking but the quick manor in which Donnie gave GSW an offer they couldn’t refuse following HWSNBN taking his talents to Wade County with CB4 makes me think that he must have known that it was more of a dream then anything else that #6 would come to Gotham. Part of me thinks that Walsh saved us the fans from ourselves by taking the risk of selling a long shot pipe dream knowing it would buy the time needed to go through the losing and build the young talented team with financial options that we have now. If this is the case Donnie has huge stones (pause) by risking two seasons, potentially alienating the fans and extremely popular players (nate,Dlee) to get through this point where we are an up and coming team with a star player and above average pieces around him and looking to legitimately become a contender in about one- two more years. Foresight or not the man deserves credit and mention among those who are nominated for Exec of Year with Riley (co winner Wade) and the Exec from OKC who seemingly can do no wrong.
i don't believe that really
i don’t think you go for broke if you won’t have a chance. and we had a really good chance. i’m not upset about anything, and i think donnie worked exceptionally well with what he had, because he didn’t assume the best. in fact, he probably assumed the worst. and i think we had a great haul. i’m sure golden state wanted lee, and it’s been obvious for a while that lee wanted money.
riley doesn’t deserve to win exec of the year in my opinion, because his decisions were obvious. you do not, under any circumstances, elect not to sign three of the top 5 free agents if they want to play for your team. don’t be ridiculous. its funny you should say wade wins it with riley, because the players dictated the entire thing, not the executives.
/// aighttho.com \\/// twitter.com/aighttho \\
he had his backup plan on the table
it was in place way before anything, Lee probably agreed to it as well. Coulda swore it was longer then a week before “the decision” that Lee was interviewed and said he "couldn’t say anything on it’.
Donnie had his backup in place. He most likely wasn’t sure of the ’dream" scenario, but covered his bases.
Agree with this.
We sign and traded Lee before LBJ can finish his “I’m taking my talents to south beach” sentence. We had that deal and most likely some others to choose from as well.
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 4, 2010 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions
great post mike
I can’t lie. I didn’t like this whole sacrifice two years to wrangle Lebron. It just seemed to far fetched. I just wasn’t down with the plan. I didn’t have a better one myself or anything, I was just unsure of mortgaging the present for a possible future.
but now I see the light. I think Donnie’s done a great job. Now we have no idea how this team is going to play, they could very well be the nets of last year. I don’t think that’s the case. I think we’re gonna be in the playoff hunt! WHICH I’M EFFING STOKED FOR! but like mike said, “we got money!”
Money!
“Money is the root of all evil. I’m ok with evil” Woody Paige Around The Horn
I’m ok with it to if it gives the Knicks a better chance to win a ring!
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 4, 2010 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions
like woody paige
but money isnt the root of evil.
Its the love of money that is the root of evil….
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
Awesome post
I would rec this 100 times if I could
"I don't lift weights because they are heavy, and I don't run because it makes me tired." - Charles Barkley
TURRIBLE!
I'd do the same
If I could.
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 5, 2010 2:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Mike, you may be the most exhuberant poster ever
I sometimes go nuts after the initial read to weed through the scroll button to get to the comments like the next day, I’m impatient like that, but you do create a fine madness every now again. Another nice job here. When’s you’re book come out?
Just kidding. Donnie is huge asset. It will always be hit or miss, as this year showed, players will do what players will do, with or without class. But Donnie’s done his job quite well come hell or high water, and done it with class. Time will tell what the fruits of his labor will be but, one of my favorite aspects of Donnie’s job is this – people say MDA hates defense, but with absolute disregard to this theory, Donnie lands a group of team players with defineable defensive specialties to compliment their offensive fireworks. He collects Amare and surrounds him with fellows that should allow him to do his thing and soften the blow of his moments of potential fade on the defensive end. Whether Felton is a fill-in for a player to be named, he was a fine pickup I initially doubted. Now I believe he has the potential to be a mainstay. The biggest thing is he is built solid but is fast, and may hold up well under our fast-paced system. Their other superstars who’d look fantastic in the blue and orange but I question their durability in our system.
Heck, I could write a book here but we kept key components, Gallo, Chan, Walker while adding key components, Azu, Randolph, Turiaf, Felton, Amare. This is quite a proving ground we have here this year with a clean slate and fresh team, but I’m highly optimistic that A) Dziedzic will become crazy with man love for Gallo, and that B) the knicks will be a very exciting and competitive team this year.
Oh Yeah
Nice job on the sig at the end. I rec’s this, but it deserves a rec just for the effort and time you put into it.
By The Way
I was thinking about putting that signature on all of my post, It’s always good to add some flair. Another thing, after seeing your design for the Gallo T-shirt contest I completely gave up. There’s absolutely no beating that, you got my vote.
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 5, 2010 3:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Thanks Mike
Much appreciated, but somehow I’d think you’d come up with something cool. And on a side note, Geesh, I thought I was the only who don’t sleep around here.
I can run off 3 hours a sleep, I'm like a robot.
My design was the evolution cycle of man, the one that starts as an ape then raises into a caveman and etc. Well I had that but at the end of the cycle was a big rooster basically saying we all evolve into cocks like Gallo. I think it was a cool idea, I just couldn’t execute it properly.
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 5, 2010 3:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I appreciate the respect
And I completely agree with your points here. Especially Donnie being hit or miss. He’s been hitting more then he’s been missing so its all good. The decisions he makes aren’t bonehead decisions, they are the smart ones so if it misses you can’t really blame the guy.
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
This was
EPIC. Lots o’props for the pics and nice quick analysis. In Don we trust.
Extremely talented bro you are.
Donnie Walsh definitely did his thing and I have a feeling that the guy isn’t don yet. Carmelo will be here as long as Donnie is calling the shots.
A game of Chess is like a sword fight....you must think first....before you move.
melo just caught influenza
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
Lala did Wilson Chandler
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
geez i hate to ruined the ill ryhmes but
i tried to rec this but i cant! this post was so great that it made me finally make an account. im just a long time reader but im gonna be commenting with you guys from here on out. but i tried to rec it when i joined but it said i had to wait 2 days and i still can’t rec it. great post man.
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 8, 2010 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
lol Someone emailed me that.
This is the type of praise im always getting, why do you people enjoy my post so much?!?! lol
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 9, 2010 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
chandler tha mangler
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
damn, i missed all the rhymes... im such a straggler.
I am a fan of both the mets and knicks... so just kill me now.
Mike, this post is dope
but no love for Jerome Jordan in Rautins/Fields portion of the Holy F**k section?? lol
If you're a real Yankee fan, please do the rest of us a favor and splurge the extra cash on a replica jersey without a last name on the back. Frankly, it's embarassing.
by total hermination on Aug 13, 2010 5:09 PM EDT reply actions
I did leave him out didn't I... Oops
Btw thanks for the rec!!! You’re rec made this post the most popular post of all time on P&T, I am forever in debt to you!
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 13, 2010 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
congrats man
glad to help out the cause. Just out of curiosity, what photo editing software do you use for your posts?
If you're a real Yankee fan, please do the rest of us a favor and splurge the extra cash on a replica jersey without a last name on the back. Frankly, it's embarassing.
by total hermination on Aug 13, 2010 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Usually a magician doesn't give away secrets but since I am in debt to you...
picnik.com
"As humans we strive for success but live with fear. If success was inevitable, fear cannot exist" Michael Kelley
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 14, 2010 3:40 AM EDT up reply actions
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