Walsh close to return, backs D'Antoni
Knicks president Donnie Walsh, right, says he's still behind Mike D'Antoni, despite the team's 6-8 start. Credit: Getty Images
Donnie Walsh came to New York to help rebuild the Knicks and in the process, has gone through some work of his own. Last week, he had hip replacement surgery at Manhattan's Hospital for Special Surgery, his third medical procedure in a little more than two years, and said he's ready to "be normal again."
Is it ever normal in New York? Walsh, speaking from his Manhattan apartment Monday morning, said the focus on his health "is way overblown" and added, "There's an innuendo that it's more ominous than that and it really isn't." He's already walking around with a cane and hopes to be back at the Garden next week.
Walsh turns 70 in March and a month later, Knicks owner James Dolan has to decide whether to pick up the option on Walsh's contract for another year. Walsh said ownership has been supportive and he isn't thinking about retirement. "The reason why I came here was because I wanted to be here and help them build this thing back up to a significant level," he said. "And that's where I've been ever since. That doesn't put any kind of a time limit on it."
Should the Knicks fail to make the playoffs, there will be heat on both Walsh and coach Mike D'Antoni. A slow start followed by a three-game winning streak brought the team closer to .500 (6-8), and Walsh said he has never considered making a coaching change.
"Mike's my guy," Walsh said. "We're partners in this thing. I've not changed one iota."
Walsh also said he fully supported D'Antoni's decision to drop struggling Anthony Randolph from the rotation.
"I have never told Mike to play anybody . . . This specific thing, I think everybody that's involved in basketball operations believes Anthony has a wealth of talent," Walsh said. "I also think we all know that he needs work in order to know how to use that talent. It does him no good to go in and repeat mistakes before he's coached to a point where he knows how to use that talent. So I think that, in a funny way, this is a good thing for Anthony."
So was the road trip, on which the team ended a six-game losing streak and started to find itself on offense. They averaged 120 points on the four-game trip, which Walsh watched on television. Said Walsh: "What I saw on this trip is they're starting to get it."
Notes & quotes: Amar'e Stoudemire was named NBA Eastern Conference player of the week after getting 29 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in a 3-1 week for the Knicks. Stoudemire sat out the scrimmage portion of yesterday's practice to rest a sore left ankle that he tweaked late in Saturday's win over the Clippers. Ronny Turiaf also sat out the scrimmage mainly for rest . . . Raymond Felton is averaging 21 points and 7.2 assists over the last seven games going into the home-and-home against his former team, the Bobcats, starting Tuesday night at the Garden. Felton's role has changed from a primary playmaker to more of a combo guard. He is averaging 14.5 shots and shooting 50 percent from the field.
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