04-07-2008, 03:53 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Sexy Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Jerry Colangleo Would Have Been A Better Fit For Knicks
Quote:
As much as David Stern can't stop publicly gushing over Donnie Walsh's hiring in New York, not everyone at the NBA's offices thinks the Knicks hit a homer by bringing in the former Pacers CEO to succeed Isiah Thomas.
Some league execs believe that Jerry Colangelo would have been a better fit, especially if the Knicks find themselves on the front lines of the free-agent recruiting wars in 2010, when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul become available. They think that the former Suns owner would have been the ideal recruiter for New York when the best free-agent class since 1996, featuring Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning, hits the open market.
It's hard to contest their point. As the managing director of the U.S. Olympic team for the last several years, Colangelo has enjoyed unparalleled access to James, Wade and Paul, not to mention Toronto's Chris Bosh, who can also become a free agent in 2010. If he were running the Knicks, Colangelo could have used those strong Olympic ties, along with the Garden's money, to lure the marquee player New York has been without since Patrick Ewing's departure in 2000.
It's not that Walsh won't be offering the same money - if, in fact, he can put the Knicks in position to be under the salary cap. But he doesn't have the same rapport with the game's top players. Not that he's alone. Several rival GMs have quietly complained during Colangelo's tenure running Team USA that he has enjoyed a built-in advantage when the time comes to recruit free agents.
"Those are the kinds of ties that other teams die for," said one Western Conference executive. "Whether it's unfair or not, the bottom line is, Jerry really has an 'in.'"
It's a moot point, because Walsh is in with the Knicks and Colangelo is a man without a team. But it certainly makes you wonder what he could have done if he had been hired instead.
"Jerry definitely has a lot of great relationships throughout the league and with players from Team USA, and that will definitely help him in the future," said Paul, an MVP candidate who will be a hotly pursued recruit if he decides to leave New Orleans.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba..._better_f.html
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Jerry Colangleo Would Have Been A Better Fit For Knicks
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