When was the last time Knicks owner James Dolan was accused of underspending?
Former Knicks guard Cuttino Mobley took that route yesterday in federal court. Mobley, who has a heart condition, sued the Garden for trying to save $19 million by forcing his retirement after the Knicks obtained him in a 2008 trade with the Clippers.
The lawsuit charges the Knicks sent Mobley to Dr. Barry Maron, a top hypertrophic cardiomyopathy specialist and an outspoken advocate of the dangers of playing sports with the defect. Mobley was diagnosed with the condition in 1999, but claims in the lawsuit the Knicks did not want him to see his regular heart specialist.
The lawsuit states the team “sent Mobley to a doctor they knew would disqualify him from playing.’’
According to the suit, Mobley’s retirement saved Dolan an estimated $19 million because insurance pays a bulk of the contract and it no longer counted against the salary cap, sparing Dolan from paying any luxury tax.
The suit also contends Knicks president Donnie Walsh kept Mobley on the roster as a trade chip because his expiring pact had value and then later applied to the league to get an injury trade exception which was denied.
However, the suit’s other claim that Mobley’s retirement helped Walsh in his 2010 quest to get under the salary cap to sign “marquee’’ free agents does not hold up. Mobley’s contract expired after the 2009 season, which means he did not affect the Knicks’ 2010 cap space whether he played or retired.
From a basketball standpoint, Mobley was a key ingredient in the trade which also brought Tim Thomas to the Knicks while sending Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to Los Angeles. He was slated as starting shooting guard since the Knicks had given up Jamal Crawford in a deal with Golden State that same day and had banished Stephon Marbury.
Sources said Walsh was “devastated’’ by the loss of Mobley and coach Mike D’Antoni blamed part of that season’s collapse on the vacuum created by Mobley’s retirement. However, Walsh once said he’d do the trade again.
The lawsuit calls into question whether the Garden sacrificed wins during a rebuilding season to save money, since Dolan had been burdened for years with one of the league’s highest payrolls and luxury-tax payments.
In a statement, the Knicks strongly denied allegations they purposely orchestrated Mobley’s retirement to save money.
“Although we understand Cuttino Mobley’s frustration with the effects of his illness, we are extremely disappointed in his recent actions,” the statement read. “When the Knicks obtained Cuttino, the team fully expected him to be our starting shooting guard. It was a significant set-back to our team when we learned he would not be able to play following initial reports from his physical. … We are confident Cuttino’s claims have no merit and will not prevail.”