The Knicks, Of Course, Were the Only NBA Team to Disagree With Preventative Coronavirus Measures
By Michael Luciano
Earlier on Wednesday, the NBA was still figuring out what to do amid rising Coronavirus concerns in the United States before Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was diagnosed with the sickness, prompting the league to suspend the season.
But before that, 29 owners eventually ended up voting for continuing to play with no fans. Who was the one that voted to not take such preventative measures? New York Knicks owner James Dolan, of course. The report claimed he wanted to play games as scheduled until a federal or local governmental mandate forced their hands.
Several teams were willing to put the games on hiatus, but the rest wanted to move toward eliminating fans from arenas to continue playing games, sources tell ESPN. One team wanted to keep status quo until a governmental/public mandate dictated change: The New York Knicks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020
Congrats, Dolan. When everyone else zigs, you zag -- even if everyone else subscribed to the theory that they should try to avoid helping the disease spread. Instead, you chose to potentially expose tens of thousands of people to it. How can one guy be so backwards on every major decision?
Dolan figures if all Knicks fans die from the Coronavirus, he doesn’t have to kick them out for chanting “Sell The Team" https://t.co/rlkDZxO6rb
— Clem (@TheClemReport) March 12, 2020
This Coronavirus scare is nothing trivial, nor is it a reason for you to plant your flag stubbornly in the face of all 29 other owners, public safety, and common sense. Dolan and the Knicks remain a shining example of how not to run an NBA team in a time of crisis -- or at all.