Knicks owner James Dolan resigns from NBA board committee positions - ESPN

Before launching an unorthodox lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors that includes allegations questioning the objectivity of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, New York Knicks owner James Dolan resigned his positions on the league's Board of Governors' influential advisory/finance and media committees, according to a memo obtained by ESPN.

«Given all that has occurred lately, I have come to the conclusion that the NBA neither needs nor wants my opinion,» Dolan wrote in a July memo to Silver that he copied to the other 29 league owners.

Dolan also informed Silver and his peers of his intentions to no longer attend Board of Governor meetings, according to the memo. While Dolan didn't relinquish voting power for his franchise, he indicated that he would turn to Knicks general counsel Jamaal Lesane to represent the organization at the BOG meetings, the memo said. That transition has occurred, sources told ESPN.

«My hope is that the Knicks will be treated equally and fairly as all other NBA teams,» Dolan said in the memo. "… As you know, I am very busy with all my duties at MSG family of companies. I need to apply my time where I can be most productive."

In two recent votes that had been otherwise unanimous in passage, Dolan voted against Michael Jordan's sale of the Charlotte Hornets to the group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin and WNBA expansion to San Francisco, sources told ESPN. In both instances, the Knicks were the only «no» votes, sources said.

Through the years, Dolan has become increasingly critical of the league and Silver on a number of issues, including the NBA's revenue sharing system, sources told ESPN. Dolan has expressed dissatisfaction with elements of a system that requires big-market franchises like the