Knicks Continue Ban on Daily News With RJ Barrett Presser
By Joey Mauceri
The New York Knicks got their man last night when they selected Duke guard RJ Barrett with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night.
The team also made a trade in the second round, trading up from the No. 55 pick to No. 47 to acquire Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis. The Knicks held a press conference to introduce the pair of bright young rookies on Friday, but one major New York media outlet was absent from the presser. In fact, they were banned altogether. The Daily News is still gone, per James Dolan's informal decree.
FWIW, The Daily News was not invited to this presser for @RjBarrett6 and @_iggy_braz but every other NYC outlet covering the team was.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 21, 2019
Jim Dolan doesn't like the coverage and has effectively banned them from covering the team.
Sheesh, talk about turning over a new leaf.
The Daily News has taken strong criticism in the past for the virulent way that it reports on and writes about New York sports teams, not only the Knicks. However, considering the lack of success the Knicks have had over the last decade, the Daily News has been especially harsh on them.
First question RJ Barrett is asked at his introductory Knicks press conference: “Do you have big enough shoulders to carry this franchise?”
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 21, 2019
Welcome to New York, kid. pic.twitter.com/mXUDK38eXM
Of course, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to see James Dolan react in such a way to the Daily News. Dolan does have a knack for simply banning things (and people) that rub him the wrong way.
It's tough to say who this is a worse look for, James Dolan or the New York Daily News. Either way, nobody really wins with this exclusive press ban on the NYDN, and it remains to be seen whether or not the relationship can ever really be repaired.