Getty Head coach of the Toronto Raptors Darko Rajakovic speaks during media day on October 2, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Darko Rajaković is eager to resolve the lawsuit the New York Knicks have filed against him that is threatening to torpedo his head coaching debut with the Toronto Raptors.
“I was surprised,” Rajaković told reporters during Monday’s Media Day in Toronto. “I was shocked.”
“I did not know where it was coming from. Obviously, the lawsuit is ongoing. I cannot make too many comments on it,” he added.
“What I can say is I know who I am. I know how my parents raised me. I know what I see every single day when I look in the mirror. I know that there is nothing that I should be worried about. And I cannot wait for this lawsuit to be over so everybody can find the truth,” he continued.
On August 21, Rajaković was named as one of the defendants in the lawsuit filed by the Knicks, alleging the rookie head coach and nine other members of the Raptors organization have “conspired to use [Ike] Azotam’s position as a current Knicks insider to funnel proprietary information to the Raptors to help them organize, plan, and structure the new coaching and video operations staff.”
Azotam, a former Knicks employee now working for the Raptors, was also named one of the defendants.
According to the lawsuit, they have also directed Azotam to misuse his access to the Knicks’ subscription to Synergy Sports to create and then transfer to the Raptors defendants over 3,000 files consisting of film information and data.
On August 11, 2023, the Knicks alleged Azotam forwarded from his Knicks email account to his Raptors email account the scouting report for their final regular-season game against the Indiana Pacers and an advanced scouting report of the Denver Nuggets. He also forwarded several confidential documents to his personal Gmail account, such as the Knicks’ prep book for the 2022-23 season, and a play frequency report for the Dallas Mavericks shared with the Raptors defendants.
The Knicks seek unspecified damages and prevent the Raptors from using their trade secrets.
Masai Ujiri Has Terse Response to Knicks Lawsuit
Raptors president Masai Ujiri was dismissive of the Knicks lawsuit against them and his new head coach.
“There has been one time a team has sued a team in the NBA. One time. Go figure,” Ujiri told reporters during Monday’s Media Day in Toronto.
Masai Ujiri on the Knicks’ lawsuit 👀
Watch all media day availabilities on our YouTube 🎥: t.co/SqDIyXlTtS
Meanwhile, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has yet to take action, opting to withhold his judgment,.
“On that dispute, I don’t know more than what I read in the complaint that was filed in federal court, and so I don’t have a sense yet of how egregious it is, and I haven’t had an opportunity to see what the Raptors response is,” Silver told reporters in a media conference on September 13. “This ultimately may end up in front of me, so I think it’s appropriate to withhold judgment.”
Adam Silver on Knicks suing Raptors: “On that dispute I don’t know more than what I read in the complaint that was filed in federal court, & so I don’t have a sense yet of how egregious it is, and I haven’t had an opportunity to see what the Raptors response is. This ultimately…
Tom Thibodeau Defends Decision to Drop Evan Fournier
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau presented overwhelming evidence that suggested his decision to drop Evan Fournier from the rotation was the right move last season.
“I have great respect for him, and I didn’t go into the season thinking we were going to do the things that we ended up doing,” Thibodeau told reporters during the Knicks Media Day on Monday. “We did it because we weren’t having success one way. So we adjusted, and then the next group that went in, it’s hard to argue with 37 and 22 [record] and a plus five net rating.”
Fournier, who is hoping for a trade, remains with the Knicks. The 30-year-old veteran guard joined the team in their training camp in Charleston, South Carolina.