Glen Grunwald‘s pock-marked tenure as head of the New York Knicks’ basketball operations unit is over.
The former president and general manager was moved into an advisory role and Steve Mills shifted duties within the organization on Thursday, releasing Grunwald from the thankless task of having to operate under Madison Square Garden boss James Dolan.
“I am pleased to welcome Steve back to the Knicks,” Dolan said in a statement. “He is a well-respected sports executive with a strong background in basketball, as well as a familiarity with NBA operations and our company. We look forward to his leadership and believe he is the right person to help us reach our ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship.”
Mills has been a key executive for the Knicks and was a high-ranking official in MSG, the parent company that is essentially interchangeable with the Knicks from a business perspective. The Princeton alum played for the Tigers under Pete Carril.
Under Grunwald’s watch, the Knicks missed the playoffs four out of seven years. They advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring, but that marked the first time since 2000 that the team advanced past the first round. His last major move was acquiring Andrea Bargnani in a widely panned trade in July.
