NEW YORK — Knicks owner James Dolan said Monday he was not aware of any trade discussions last summer involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and does not expect any big progress this season.
Speaking to WFAN Radio, Dolan also said he thought Tom Thibodeau was “a little surprised” when the Knicks fired him last summer, despite leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
Later in the summer, ESPN reported that the Bucks and New York Knicks was involved in trade talks for Antetokounmpo in August but failed to make headway on a potential deal.
Dolan was asked if this information was true.
“Not that I knew about it,” Dolan said. “Look, we love our team right now.”
The Knicks were second in the East heading into Monday's game in Detroit against the conference-leading Pistons. Dolan said he liked the team's depth and chemistry under Mike Brown, who was hired as coach after Dolan and team president Leon Rose decided to move on from Thibodeau, and he doesn't think the Knicks need to do much more.
“And Leon can always overrule me, but I don’t see us making big changes because we need to continue to grow this group,” Dolan said. “This group can win a championship. I believe in it.”
Thibodeau led the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons. Dolan praised the coach for the discipline and strategy he brought to the organization, but said the Knicks needed a coach who was more interested in player development and collaboration. He said that throughout last season they discussed with Thibodeau the leadership style changes they wanted him to make.
“I'm not going to say you can't win a title with Tom Thibodeau. I'm not sure that's true,” Dolan said. “It’s just that if you want to build a long-term, competitive company… you need someone who is a much more proactive employee than Tom.”
The Knicks made a change right after they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers.
“I think he was a little surprised,” Dolan said. “Like I said, he's a great coach, so he probably had reason to be surprised.”
