Joe's Reaction of the Week (Chip's Version): What Impact Will the Knicks Have on the Rangers?
In June of 1994 the Rangers and Knicks had New York City rocking day in and day out. Could following the Knicks example make that happen again?
In Spring of 1994, Madison Square Garden was the epicenter of the New York sports' universe. The Mark Messier-led Rangers were on their magical Cup run, and the only thing that could distract from the New York Knicks was O.J. Simpson in a white Ford Bronco. Both teams have since endured dark, dark, very dark, pitch black, complete absence of light days. In the last few years the New York Rangers have fluctuated between showing signs of life and, well, whatever the last two years have been. The Knicks meanwhile have been on a steady climb that has culminated with their first trip back to the NBA finals in over a quarter of a century.
So, will the success of the Knicks have any impact on the New York Rangers, and if so, what might that impact look like?
First Question First
Obvious statement is obvious: James Dolan owns both the Knicks and the Rangers. He has seen how deep playoff runs for the Rangers line his pockets and is seeing it on steroids for the Knicks. The "cheapest" tickets for an NBA Finals games at MSG are selling for $3,500 with court-side seats going for upwards of $1.1 million.
(Just a quick note, because I am usually very critical of Dolan, and I want to throw some flowers where they're due. With ticket prices reaching astronomical numbers, the Knicks, through their charity Garden of Dreams, is donating over 200 tickets so that underprivileged kids in New York may be able to attend some of these games.)
Anyway, there's no way that Dolan isn't taking notice of the financial impact of having a winning team in New York City. And what's better than being the owner of one winning team in New York City? Being the owner of two winning teams in New York City. We already know that Dolan is not keen on the Rangers embarking on a long rebuild, and seeing what Leon Rose has built with the Knicks will almost certainly do nothing to change that view. What it may change is his mindset on how to best accelerate the Rangers rebuild ... sorry ... retool.
