James Dolan did not mince words when he made an appearance on WFAN earlier this month. He talked about what the Knicks hope to accomplish with this group — and it's nothing short of, well, everything.
"Getting to the Finals, we absolutely have to do. Winning the Finals, we should do."
It was implied that Dolan was talking about getting to the Finals with this version of the Knicks. That's why, right now, Dolan's reputation might not be on the line (he's somehow recovered from a seemingly irreparable public reputation in the past few seasons) but it's hard to see how he can stay in the good graces of the fans if the Knicks don't win it all this year.
On one hand, if Dolan doesn't pull off a Giannis trade and the Knicks stay the course then don't win it all, he'll catch flak for not doing enough to elevate this team after a conference finals run last year. And if he does approve a trade for Giannis, then he probably didn't actually believe in the Knicks' roster as it stands. And is there anything worse than an owner who isn't honest about their belief in their own team? One who sells tech to the Russian military? Okay, fair enough.
Here's the thing; winning a title excuses all missteps along the way. With or without Giannis, if the Knicks take home the Larry O'Brien trophy, everyone is absolved. But with or without Giannis, if the team doesn't, then something went wrong along the way — and the blame would fall onto Dolan, who decided, along with Leon Rose and the front office, that running things back was the best route to a championship.
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After an NBA Cup victory last month, Dolan's declaration didn't sound so crazy! I know the Cup hasn't historically predicted how a team performs in the postseason, but it was encouraging to see the Knicks perform so well in a pressure situation nonetheless.
Then, things fell apart. Is it possible to have an NBA Cup hangover? Because that's what it felt like the Knicks were experiencing. About a month of up and down (then more down than up) play led to the team feeling like a lock to make a big swing at the trade deadline, which would sound crazy if you said that right after the Cup win.
So now, which way to Dolan and Rose go? Do they stick to their guns and ride it out with this roster, or admit that this team was never good enough to win it all and beg some team around the league to give up a star player?