LAS VEGAS — Within the final yr, the Knicks sued one other NBA staff, questioned the commissioner’s objectivity and despatched a scathing letter to the opposite homeowners in regards to the league’s path.
Given an opportunity to reply or elaborate Tuesday, Adam Silver largely sidestepped the problems with the Knicks and James Dolan.
“My response is we attempt to maintain these points within the household. And I’d say, sure, Jim Dolan did ship a letter out to his accomplice groups and to the league workplace,” Silver mentioned after the homeowners conferences in Vegas. “That was mentioned actually at our conferences. However I don’t assume it’s applicable to get into the specifics of what was mentioned at our assembly.”
Silver was additionally requested a few New York court docket’s determination final month to ship the Knicks’ lawsuit towards the Raptors again to the commissioner to arbitrate.
As a part of the go well with, the Knicks claimed Silver couldn’t objectively settle the dispute as a result of, partially, he was beholden to Raptors minority proprietor Larry Tanenbaum.
“The second a part of your query [about the Knicks questioning my objectivity], I received’t reply to,” Silver mentioned. “The primary half is that we did obtain discover of the court docket’s determination and are within the technique of working via these points on the league workplace proper now.”
Along with his long-standing issues with the NBA’s revenue-sharing mannequin because the backdrop, Dolan has gone scorched earth towards the NBA’s new media deal and Silver, specifically.
Within the letter from Dolan that was obtained by ESPN, the previous Cablevision scion famous his beef with the income sharing and added extra grievances whereas forcefully concluding, “Delight of possession is what’s sacrificed.
We’re properly on our method to changing into a one measurement suits all, characterless group. Simply bear in mind we did this on the backs of householders like Jerry Buss.”
Dolan argued the NBA’s new media rights deal would depart Regional Sports activities Networks “unviable” since too lots of the video games are given to the nationwide broadcasters.
Dolan owns MSG Community, which has not been resistant to the dramatic diminishment of cable subscribers through the streaming service increase.
On Tuesday, Silver reiterated his emphasis on streaming companies because the league finalizes its $76 billion media rights megadeal.
Dolan didn’t attend the NBA’s Board of Governors conferences Tuesday in Vegas, as a substitute sending MSG Sports activities COO Jamaal Lesane because the Knicks consultant.
In August, the Knicks filed a lawsuit towards the Raptors for stealing scouting data via a video coordinator.
It was uncommon for one NBA staff to sue one other given they’re enterprise companions and there’s an NBA structure, however the Knicks sought greater than $10 million in damages and argued that Silver was too compromised to settle it.
