mjhp911 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
Let me tell you the difference here. It's long and winded, but if you want the explanation, here it is. Layden was boring. I can't put it any plainer than that. But let's translate that to 'Dolan terms'. You know why he was really fired? Our waiting list, which had grown to over 5 years in it's heyday (maybe even closer to 7? To put it in perspective, the Giants have a waiting list of over 20 years... that's the time it takes to get your season tickets once you put your name on the waiting list), had dwindled to nothing towards the end of Layden's tenure. We had to start scrambling to sell seats by the time he was fired. Now Zeke hasn't always delivered a full house, but he's diversified our revenue streams. That 'failure of a player on the court' Marb has had his jersey in the top five of NBA sales in the past 3 years. MSG's cable revenue has never been better. There's a 'buzz' in the building, despite the failure in the standings. In short, Zeke hasn't been boring. Now I know that matters little to you, but it matters a lot to the owner. This summer, Zeke is probably going to add another lottery pick, and maybe even a guy like Artest (or whoever he can transform Marb's ending deal into). More buzz. Yes, some fans will be sick of it, so there's a finite life to Zeke's 'snake oil' charms. But still others will buy more season tickets, at least for one more year. After Zeke is gone, the next guy will try his luck. But I suspect the next guy will bring back Layden's formula, because spotting young talent isn't easy (it's easier to trade for brokedown 'names' making big money - a bigger splash). I don't think that's the way to go. I still think finding young talent is the only way we're getting out of this mess. So I continue to hope that we get the balance right one of these days. As I mentioned earlier, I think there's more hope in that, than hoping for a true and full rebuild.
That's a great post, but it just confirms that it's Dolan/Thomas's fault just as much as fans'.