The Knicks blamed commissioner Adam Silver's bias for stalling the NBA's investigation into the explosive allegations against the Raptors.
“For months, we have been waiting for direction from the NBA on the next steps in this matter. “This proves our contention that there is no such thing,” a statement to The Theater said. Post from a MSG Sports spokesperson. “Unfortunately, there is a clear conflict of interest between the commissioner and the NBA president, so the league has remained completely silent.”
Back in August 2023, the Knicks filed a lawsuit alleging that former video coordinator Ike Azotam stole “thousands of proprietary files,” including scouting secrets, and shared them with his new employer, the Raptors.
The court ruled in June that the NBA should handle the dispute and required an update by Dec. 13.
The Knicks and Raptors agreed in a joint filing Friday that no updated information exists.
“As of the date of this letter, the NBA has not yet established a process or timeline, and discovery has not begun,” the letter said.
1,000 to Toronto, arguing that Silver is too compromising to fairly arbitrate the dispute because he is beholden to Raptors co-owner and NBA president Larry Tannenbaum. It was seeking more than $10,000 in damages.
Asked in July about the Knicks questioning his objectivity, Silver said, “No answer.”
“We have been notified of the court's decision (to compel NBA arbitration) and are currently working on those issues in league office,” the commissioner added at the time.
Apparently, there wasn't much work to be done.
Knicks owner James Dolan has been at odds with Silver over issues such as the NBA's revenue-sharing system and new media rights deals, among other issues.
Just last month, the Knicks accused the NBA of “harassment” through an investigation into the promotion of assistant coach Rick Brunson.
“We view this as further harassment of the Knicks for opposing certain issues in the NBA.”
The league's investigation ended with the Knicks cleared of any wrongdoing.
