Donnie Walsh Is Now Available: But Why so Sought-After?

Ken Berger from CBS reveals that the ex-Knicks' GM is on the market again:

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Walsh, 71, has a contract with the Knicks in his role as consultant that expires June 30. The widely-respected executive wants to work again and is expected to begin exploring opportunities immediately.

"Donnie's very interested in continuing to work on a full-time basis," Walsh's agent, Steve Kauffman, told CBSSports.com.

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Donnie Walsh did not do a poor job at the helm. He built a flexible, frisky Knicks roster. And yes, Knicks owner Charles Dolan certainly seemed to swoop in and blow up the whole operation with his Melo-meddling.

At the same time, I'm not certain as to why the 71-year-old Walsh commands so much interest. He was charged with bringing in LeBron, Wade, or Bosh in the 2010 free agent bonanza. That he didn't is understandable, as many a man has lost battles to Pat Riley over the years.

But he lost regardless, and in doing so lost his general managing raison d'etre. There was a two-year build up to that moment, and it's one that New York missed out on. The consolation "prize" was Amare Stoudemire and his currently untradeable contract. 

The Knicks were no juggernaut under Walsh's stead, and while you can blame the bumbling Dolan for interfering, it is not as though he broke up the Beatles.