Knicks owner James Dolan continues to destroy goodwill from NBA title

The New York Knicks' championship run put their franchise firmly in the spotlight. It also caused their owner to pay attention again.

After largely allowing team president Leon Rose to handle the Knicks' rebuild, owner James Dolan is now getting very involved. His most recent move involves tricking team employees about championship rings.

New York Knicks deceived staffers about rings

In September, Knicks team employees got an email from MSG, the team's parent company, congratulating them on the title and offering them a choice of two ring designs. Employees who clicked on the offer did not receive jewelry, however. They got a mandatory seminar on cybersecurity training.

That's more of a cruel prank than a precautionary exercise, as team employees will not be receiving commemorative rings. Nor did the team's assistant coaches, who were handed empty boxes during the ring ceremony that preceded the season opener Tuesday night. Reportedly, the assistants will eventually receive rings, but it doesn't sound like the Knicks made it a priority to have them ready for opening night.

It's typical behavior from Dolan, who has been preoccupied with feuding with former players, suing other teams and using facial recognition technology to keep certain lawyers out of his properties. But during the Knicks' rise in the last few seasons, he seemed preoccupied with opening The Sphere, a concert venue in Las Vegas that opened in late 2023. Now he's focused on the Knicks, perhaps to their detriment.

New York Knicks owner is ruining team's good vibes

Immediately after the Knicks won their first title in 53 years, Dolan declared that his team would not go into the second luxury tax apron. This despite the team generating an extra $66.9M in playoff revenue with their title run, compared to the previous season's trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

That declaration led to the departure of longtime center Mitchell Robinson and threw a wrench into extension talks with some of the team's stars. Now the team has paused all extension talks indefinitely.

Dolan can't help himself. He feuded with the mayor and the head of the NYPD during the Finals over watch parties. He approved a cruel ruse that antagonized loyal employees and coaches. And he's doing it all after the Knicks have had their best stretch in half a century, largely due to Dolan staying out of the way.

The vibes are getting worse in New York. They might not get any better until Dolan goes back to Las Vegas. Perhaps he and his band, JD & The Straight Shot, should go back into the recording studio. They're a terrible band, but at least they're not as tone-deaf as Dolan has been since June.