In a surprising announcement, the Knicks announced late Friday morning that Donnie Walsh would be leaving his post as team president when his contract expires at the end of this month. The team characterized Walsh’s exit as by mutual agreement between him and the team’s principle owner, James L. Dolan. Glen Grunwald, a senior vice president, will serve as interim general manager beginning July 1, the team said. Walsh had been negotiating a new contact with the organization for the last few months and was seeking assurances of full autonomy in basketball decisions. He had never given any indication that he wanted to leave the team. In fact, he has repeatedly said he wanted to finish the job he started in 2008, when he began rebuilding the roster. Walsh’s decision to step away would seem to indicate that he did not receive the promises of autonomy that he sought. http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/walsh-leaving-knicks/ HIRE JOD! DO IT DOLAN!