James Dolan: ‘I am by no means an expert in basketball’

The New York Knicks officially introduced Phil Jackson as the newest member of the organization on Tuesday, and with that team owner James Dolan took the opportunity to say a few words. Dolan was honest, though I’m not sure his comments are going to sit well with Knicks fans like the ones who have organized a protest for Wednesday night outside Madison Square Garden.

“I am by no means a basketball expert,” Dolan told reporters, via a video that Deadspin shared. “I’m a fan, but my expertise lies in managing companies and businesses.”

Most Knicks fans would agree with that assessment, but there have been plenty of instances where Dolan has involved himself in the day-to-day basketball operations of the team. He has tried to make roster decisions without consulting his basketball people, which makes little sense when you take Thursday’s comments into consideration.

“I think I’m a little out of my element when it comes to the team,” Dolan said. “I found myself in a position where I needed to be more a part of the decision making for a while. It wasn’t necessarily something that I wanted to do, but as chairman of the company felt obligated to do. I’m happy now that we have a team of Phil and Steve (Mills) to do that.”

Simply put, Dolan was admitting his mistakes. He thought he could handle making basketball decisions the same way a lot of fans think they could do the same, but Dolan was wrong. Will Knicks fans forgive him? Not until the team can sustain success, but you have to admire the honesty.