Jeff Van Gundy praises former New York Knicks President Donnie Walsh – NBA Update
Jeff Van Gundy has heaped praise on Donnie Walsh, the former President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks.
Walsh was removed this year after developing differences with team owner Jim Dolan.
Van Gundy is a well known and loved figure among the Knicks faithful. The current TV analyst was the last head coach to guide the Knicks into an NBA Finals, but he couldn’t bring home the coveted NBA World Championship.
He believes that the current Knicks team has the makings of a championship winning outfit and praised Donnie Walsh for his efforts in bringing it together.
“Donnie Walsh did an unbelievable job in his time of giving the Knicks an opportunity to get back in the championship mix.” Van Gundy said in an interview with ESPN.
When Walsh took over the helm at New York, the team had been devastated by the ill-fated reign of Isiah Thomas. Players were below par and on bloated contracts that crippled the franchise’s ability to replace them or acquire new
faces.
Still Walsh not only succeeded in getting rid of the dead wood, he brought in two super stars, Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets and Amar’e Stoudemire as a free agent. Amazingly, he did so by cutting the salary roll and keeping
the Knicks under the luxury tax threshold.
"What he accomplished in getting (Carmelo) Anthony and (Amare) Stoudemire and in getting the Knicks under the salary cap has been undersold. The building blocks are there for a team that's got a real chance."
With the two star forwards leading the line, Van Gundy believes the Knicks could fight for the NBA World Championship very soon. The trade that brought Anthony to the Big Apple also depleted the roster as a number of talented young
players were let go in the other direction.
This means that New York still have some work to do in terms of bringing together a supporting cast able enough to help their two stars shine. Van Gundy thinks that would be possible, and spoke in good terms about the much maligned
owner Jim Dolan.
Jeff said that Dolan had his limitations but one thing he couldn’t be faulted for was his willingness to make the funds available to the team.
"Jim Dolan's always been willing to spend his money; he's always willing to try," Van Gundy said. "He's done his part by putting his money out there. But it still comes down to who is executing the personnel decisions, and Donnie
Walsh made all the right moves."
If the new management at New York can utilize those riches the way Walsh did, there is no reason why the Knicks can’t be a force in the NBA.
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