Ian Begley, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Dolan: I've let Phil run the Knicks

Knicks owner James Dolan has insisted he won’t be involved with the day-to-day operations of the Knicks.

He reiterated that stance Tuesday in an interview with WFAN.

“I was much more involved than I wanted to be in the last couple of years. Now I got somebody who I think is the smartest mind in basketball. It’s great. Let him go,” Dolan said on WFAN Tuesday, reiterating comments he made last week to the New York Times.

Dolan has a history of getting involved in basketball decisions. One notable example came in 2011, when the owner orchestrated a trade to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. The move was made against the wishes of GM Donnie Walsh.

He also decided to fire GM Glen Grunwald days before training camp last season after the executive put together a team that won 54 games. The Knicks then went on to win 37 games last season.

Since Jackson has taken over, it seems like Dolan has mostly left his president alone.

There reportedly was an issue between Jackson and the owner in April over a personnel matter.

According to New York Daily News reports, Jackson wanted to make changes to the team personnel but was overruled by Dolan. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith later reported that Jackson wanted to make changes to the medical staff but was again rebuffed by Dolan.

Since then, there hasn’t been anything to suggest Dolan and Jackson are at odds. The relationship is one worth monitoring, however. But until there is evidence of an issue, we're going to take Dolan at his word and assume that he is letting Phil run the show.

Knicks ink St. John’s standout: As first reported by ESPNNewYork.com, the Knicks have signed former St. John’s standout Orlando Sanchez to a training camp contract. In addition to suiting up for the Johnnies, the 6-9 forward has played for the Dominican national team.

Sanchez averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Johnnies last season.

Sanchez joins Langston Galloway and Travis Wear as players in for training camp. If they get released, the Knicks will have the option of signing each player to a D-League contract.

Knicks buried by ESPN The Magazine: ESPN The Magazine has released its annual professional sports franchise rankings -- and the Knicks didn’t fare well. Dolan’s team ranked 121st out of 122 professional sports teams. The Knicks were one spot ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs. For the full ranking, click here.

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