On the second day of the Nets' drive to sell season tickets at Barclays Center, Knicks owner Jim Dolan announced that popular GM Donnie Walsh will not be returning to the Knick front office, leaving open the possibility that Isiah Thomas will be back at Madison Square Garden.
Walsh reportedly wanted complete control of basketball operations if he was to return -- something Dolan wouldn't give him. Walsh was angry with Dolan last February when the owner acceded to all of Denver's demands on Carmelo Anthony, giving up five young players who averaged nearly 50 points a game, a first round draft pick in 2014, two second rounders and the right to swap picks in 2016 while taking on other contracts Denver wanted to dump. (Walsh also admitted he didn't know Deron Williams was available.)
Now, with the Nets heavily invested in their drive to sell Barclays Center, expect the Brooklyn promotions to go into overdrive. After all, one of the first things Mikhail Prokhorov said at his press conference a year ago was, "We will turn Knicks fans into Nets fans."
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Donnie Walsh leaving position as New York Knicks president, GM - Chris Sheridan - ESPN New York