• by Mark Lieberman , Op-Ed Contributor, March 7, 2011

Melo made his Knicks debut a couple of weeks ago, and Jimmy Dolan's critics were silenced, at least for the moment. What's this have to do with TV, you ask?

Check out the ratings. MSG Network scored its highest viewership in 16 years when the Anthony-amped Knicks played the Bucks on Feb. 23. And it's got even more to do with business, with StubHub ticket prices doubling for the rest of the season since Melo joined.

Knicks fans are a passionate and -- like most New Yorkers -- opinionated bunch, so inevitably Jimmy Dolan has been vilified for his latest maneuver, as he has for others in the past. He's gotten a bad rap for spending on the wrong players, giving too wide a berth to Isiah Thomas, and overriding his top people.

But was signing one superstar instead of cultivating four promising young players (handpicked by Knicks President Donnie Walsh and Coach Mike D'Antoni) as shortsighted as some commentators have suggested?

A few weeks ago on this board, I shared my personal "Entrepreneur's Creed," and wrote that business is like basketball: Each team member has to play well individually in order for the team to win.

If it wasn't apparent from the analogy, I played basketball in high school, college for a bit (go Jumbos), then overseas. I still play with guys 20 years my junior (great for the knees), and I'm an avid Knicks fan since -- well -- forever.

So, like Knicks-watchers everywhere, I've been on the edge of my seat to see how Dolan's strategy will play out. 

He did the right thing hiring Walsh and D'Antoni to develop and execute a roadmap for a great team, and - with Amar'e Stoudemire in the spotlight - they did just that, building one brick at a time.

But even with a sound long-term strategy and Amar'e's stellar performance, the Knicks had been delivering results that just barely topped .500. In business that's just break-even, and that's not good enough for Dolan (nor most motivated CEO's).

So in a sweeping, top-down move he brought in a second superstar to lift the team. And the excitement's back. It's not everything, but it is one more (very large) brick for the foundation. And unlike quick-fix players hired in the past, like Tracey MacGrady, at 26 Melo is still relatively young.

A great team - in basketball or business - needs great people and a long-term outlook, but it also needs engaged customers and more than a little buzz. With Melo's signing, the Knicks gain all of that.

Ticket sales are skyrocketing -- indeed, my nephew told me he had $400 offers for his $90 seats at the Bucks game for $400 -- ratings are up, and the team's playing well but not consistently, at least so far. (Note that when they beat the Heat last week, the Knicks' new star outshone the one that eluded the team's grasp last year. They then lost to the LeBron-less Cavs only to beat the Hawks last night.)

So was Dolan's Melo maneuver a smooth move by a savvy manager or a bald bid for a quick buck?

Only time will tell, but the early indications are good. And while team chemistry is important and the Knicks may not quite be playing at a championship level (yet!), fans are engaged -- see ratings -- the ROI is up, and the team is starting to look like a real contender.

As a manager, Dolan could hardly hope for more. As for me, I can't help but wonder: If we in the media measurement and analytics business were to take the same approach, how do you think we'd score? Are incremental changes enough to answer the critics of the current antiquated system? Or is it time for a bolder move? 

(Footnote: With apologies for overextending the basketball analogy, I can't help but add that I watched our high school, the Byram Hills Bobcats, win the Westchester County championship last night. It was a real Cinderella season led by two sophomores under the banner, "1 Family, 1 Goal."  It was all about chemistry and yes, David did beat Goliath.)