Is Knicks President Donnie Walsh (above, left) up to the physical challenge of recruiting a LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki or Chris Bosh to NYC? Can he withstand the rigors of cataloging online references to Eddy Curry’s financial woes? If someone is needed to move Straight Shot overstock from an MSG storage facility, does he have what it takes? Perhaps not, if you’re likely to buy into the innuendo supplied by The NY Post’s Marc Berman, who all but insists Walsh will need to appoint a full-time GM ASAP, because he’s too fuckin’ enfeebled.
According to a source close to Walsh, the 69-year-old’s hip went out during the Euroleague Final Four as he struggled negotiating the bleachers at ancient Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy.
Walsh downplayed the incident, but told The Post he has put off a hip-replacement surgery for six years, never feeling he had time for the six weeks of rehab. Friends are insisting that he undergoes the surgery sooner rather than later, perhaps after the free-agent signings.
Walsh didn’t deny it’s something that could be addressed in the near future, but stated in an e-mail, “I’m not thinking about it now. It is not something I am focused on at this time.”
Former Warriors GM Chris Mullin, who is tight with Walsh from their Indiana days, seems a natural fit and long has been considered a candidate to be Walsh’s heir apparent.
Allan Houston, assistant to the president who will be a key recruiter this July (he’s longtime friends with James’ advisor, William Wesley), could be nearing a promotion. When Walsh hired Houston, he admitted he was grooming him to be a general manager.