Walsh not concerned about contract extension
Knicks president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh, right, answers questions from the media concerning the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony as head coach Mike D'Antoni looks on. (Feb. 22, 2011) Credit: AP
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- With the Knicks' playoff run potentially on the verge of a quick ending -- they head into Sunday's Game 4 down 0-3 to the Celtics -- the focus immediately will shift to offseason priorities. And there is none more important than Donnie Walsh's future with the franchise.
Walsh talked about his plans to continue building the team -- "I'm here, that's my job. To try to build it," he said -- which suggested he plans to be back next season as team president. He has a team option for next season that, according to the contract, must be picked up by April 30 to lock in the final year.
"I don't want to talk about it," Walsh said firmly, maintaining his consistent stance of avoiding a discussion of his contract status in the media.
"I haven't got any crystal balls at all because I don't know," he said about his future. "But I wouldn't make a big deal out of it . . . I'm not really thinking about it at all."
On Feb. 23, at the news conference after the blockbuster trade for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, Garden executive chairman James Dolan addressed Walsh's status by saying he and Walsh would discuss the future after the Feb. 24 trade deadline. But two months later, Walsh's situation remains unchanged.
As Newsday has previously reported, April 30 is not when Walsh's contract expires. It is merely a deadline to pick up his $5-million option for next season. Dolan can sign Walsh to an extension at any time before June 30.
With the potential for an NBA lockout this summer (the current collective-bargaining agreement also expires June 30), Walsh might have to consider a new deal that includes a work-stoppage stipulation that lowers his pay in the event the league is shut down.
Most of the recent contracts drawn up for current general managers and coaches hired during the last two years include this work-stoppage provision, but it is not believed that there is one in Walsh's deal, which was signed in April 2008.
Walsh didn't go into detail about it, but he did suggest that the media has been too fixated on the April 30 team option.
"There are other answers to what you guys have made a big deal about, but I'm not going to go into it," he said. "It's my own personal, private business. But you can write whatever you want."
The Dolan family owns
controlling interests in the Knicks, MSG and Cablevision. Cablevision owns Newsday.
