The Carmelo Anthony blockbuster — spearheaded by Knicks owner James Dolan with Isiah Thomas in his ear — does not bode well for team president Donnie Walsh.
Two sources told The Post that, as negotiations for Anthony heated up in Los Angeles with Dolan, Walsh bolted for Indiana to see his family during All-Star Weekend.
One source said Walsh packed up and left because he was irritated and felt it was a waste of time being in New York since trade negotiations were taking place in Los Angeles without him, and with Thomas advising Dolan. Another league source said Thomas wanted to make the deal more than Walsh did.
Why didn’t Walsh fly with Dolan to L.A. to meet with Anthony? Is he being phased out, with the option on his contract needing to be exercised by April 30?
The Knicks can’t use the excuse that Walsh did not join MSG sports president Scott O’Neil and Garden CEO Hank Ratner to meet with Anthony because he still wasn’t ready for air travel after his hip-replacement surgery. Walsh, who still uses a walker, has yet to travel with the team on road trips or college scouting trips, and his future for next season has never appeared more in doubt.
Walsh returned to New York today but did not sit through practice or return phone messages. He sat behind closed doors in the practice facility and hammered out the trade, though league sources believe Dolan made the final call to shove Timofey Mozgov into the mix to end the stalemate.
The Knicks released an extremely rare joint statement Sunday from Dolan, Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni, saying they are all on the “same page” and indirectly stating Thomas was not involved. But neither of the trio were in the same state –with Dolan in California, Walsh in Indiana and D’Antoni in New York.
D’Antoni admitted he was out of the loop over the weekend, and one source says the Knicks coach feels they gave up too much.
“I was not in contact for the last [few days] — hanging out at the house and enjoying my weekend and [seeing] what happens,” D’Antoni said. “I’m a spectator like everybody else.”