Sports Radio Interviews

Donnie Walsh On His Move To NY, Draft Depth, And East Vs West

The low key Donnie Walsh has done a fantastic job since replacing the not-so-fantastic Isiah Thomas as the driver of the Knick bus.  He has cut some serious payroll, got rid of some personalities that weren’t jiving in Stephon Marbury and Zach Randolph, and hired a coach everyone loves in Mike D’Antoni.  That being said, the Knicks were so badly flawed when he took over that this is a long-term project – no one can expect them to achieve much in the coming season.  They are looking ahead to the summer of 2010 where they can make a big splash in the free agent market and acquire a superstar that can really alter the fortune of the franchise.  If you’ve been sleeping under a rock, names like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, and Manu Ginobili will be available then.  Walsh joined WNDE in Indianapolis to discuss of depth of next week’s draft, how the East is gaining on the West, and how he was questioning why he took the job in New York after his first press conference.

How deep is this draft?

“I think it’s a very deep draft.  I’m not saying 50, it certainly goes in to the twenties, you can get a good player well in to the end of the first round, and a player that can probably help most teams in the NBA.  So, from my vantage point, I think it’s a very good draft.”

How did you adapt to the change moving from the Pacers to the Knicks?

“It was a surprise I think in my first press conference that I wasn’t used to the amount of press and just the direction the press took, but, to tell you the truth, when I left that press conference I came out and I started wondering, ‘What am I doing here?’  And, I quickly looked around New York and I saw people walking around and cars coming and going, and I thought, ‘Well, this is New York.  I think this is gonna be fun.’  Since that time, I really don’t have the same attitude to whatever the press writes.  I mean, they have a job to do, and in New York it’s a very competitive job ’cause there are six or seven papers that are writing everyday… I don’t take them as personally or serious as a I did when I first got here.  I think if you’re gonna do this job in New York, or coach in New York, then you have to have thick skin and just understand that there’s nothing personal with what these guys write…”

How did you enjoy the playoffs?

“I thought it was a fabulous playoff ’cause there was so many close games, so many close series, that it showed the parity of the league, which about five years ago I could see this coming because the East was getting top picks.  We weren’t as good as the West for four or five years but before that we were better than them.  So, it’s a cyclical thing in the NBA but I see the East getting a lot tougher now, and so it’s gonna get a lot more competitive, playoff births are gonna be hard to come by.  You’re gonna have to be good.”

Listen to Donnie Walsh with JMV on WNDE in Indianapolis

Tags: Basketball, Donnie Walsh, NBA, NBA Draft, New York Knicks