Friday’s Hot Clicks: Thin-Skinned Knicks Owner Also Kicked Fan Out of Music Festival

James Dolan is aboslutely incapable of taking any criticism.

Toughen up, Jim

In addition to being the worst owner in the NBA, James Dolan is also the most insecure. 

Last weekend, during yet another Knicks loss, a fan yelled at Dolan as he walked down the tunnel that he should sell the team. Dolan responded by kicking the fan out of the Garden and said Monday in a radio interview that he had banned the fan for life. Just for telling him to sell the team! The fan didn’t even say anything rude to Dolan like, for example, that he’s a terrible businessman who has never accomplished anything on his own and would be nobody if he hadn’t inherited his father’s fortune or if the government broke up cable monopolies.

It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that in the aftermath of that incident, more examples of Dolan being a baby have come out. One Tennessee-based Knicks fan showed up to Dolan’s band’s set at a music festival in Chattanooga last fall with a sign telling Dolan to sell the team. 

And how did Dolan react? Did he just ignore it? Did he chuckle at the clever twist on “don’t quit your day job”? No, he told the guy to leave.

“I’m gonna invite you to leave,” Dolan said. “What do you say? So everybody else can have a good time. OK, can you do that now? Thank you. Goodbye.”

What a pathetic, petulant bully. When you’re a person as rich and powerful as Dolan—especially if you own a basketball team as bad as the Knicks and play in a band as lame as JD & The Straight Shot—you have to expect you’ll be criticized and let it roll off your back. But Dolan is so deeply insecure that that’s impossible. Even the mildest criticisms set him off. I can’t wait until the Knicks’ next home game on Sunday to see how he reacts to 18,000 fans chanting “Sell the team!”

What’s your take?

Did Syracuse’s Frank Howard really try to trip Zion Williamson here? The way his toe points up makes me think he did, but you’re going to need to try harder to trip a guy as strong as Zion. 

This is a stupid idea, even by NFL standards

Does anybody know a quarterback who is only 31, has been to the Super Bowl and has been out of the league for only two years? Maybe you should call him before the the guy who backed up Trent Edwards ten years ago. 

Watch No. 55 very closely

So Zdeno Chara’s stick lift lifts Mark Scheifele’s stick all the way up almost into the stands. Chara clears, Scheifele retrieves the stick and uses it to score a goal. 

The best of SI

Zion Williamson returned from a knee injury and had maybe his best game of the season. Duke plays North Carolina tonight. ... The 50 best NFL free agents still available. ... Tom Verducci analyzes the major rule changes MLB just announced. ... Yasiel Puig thinks the Dodgers made a mistake by trading him.

Around the sports world

John Elway somehow thinks 34-year-old Joe Flacco hasn’t entered his prime yet. ... California Sunday profiles Elizabeth Swaney, the Olympic skier who couldn’t really ski. ... Phil Mickelson says he paid the guy accused of running the college admissions scam but didn’t commit any fraud. 

Sneak attack goal!

Speaking of sneaky

Not a bad game-winner, either

Imagine this happening in the NFL

Shaq does “Hot Ones”

A Cleveland woman called 911 because her neighbor was too excited about Odell Beckham

These throwbacks are fresh

Not sports

The best development in the college admissions scam is the son who was interviewed by the New York Post while smoking a blunt and hyping his mixtape. ... A mobster got whacked in New York for the first time since 1985. ... The Sopranos prequel movie is coming out in 2020 and it has a new name: just Newark. 

That’ll set her straight

New Avengers trailer

Alex Trebek thanks his fans

A good song

Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.