As the New York Knicks have been undefeated 9-0 in the playoffs since Game 3 of Round 1, there were some unfortunate rumblings about their home. Reports emerged that President Donald Trump was considering moving the iconic Madison Square Garden to a newly rebuilt Penn Station. But the franchise’s billionaire owner, James Dolan, has emphatically shut it down.

Last month, Ramsey Khalifeh, WNYC reporter, stated that “Trump was presented a plan that would move MSG across the streets, months before three finalists were selected by Amtrak to formally lead the project. And those sources say that Trump’s main comment was, ‘Look, I won’t take this plan seriously unless I’m convinced that James Dolan, who owns Madison Square Garden, would actually move.”

The reason was connected with the rebuild Penn Station, which is expected to cost an astonishing $8 billion. The significant redevelopment was important for Trump, as he even fired the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last year. Now, the feds were in charge of redeveloping Penn Station with Amtrak, and it seemed they couldn’t convince James Dolan.

“The decision about whether to move MSG weighed heavily on James Dolan, the billionaire owner of the Garden and the New York Knicks,” reported the US SUN. “Any plan to move forward with a relocation required the owner of the red-hot Knicks’ approval to do so, which he repeatedly shot down.” It’s a major update, and the Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers, who also play at the Garden, will take a sigh of relief. So, what will the new look of Penn Station have in store?

• Construct a grand entrance on Eighth Avenue to a new train hall
• Replace cramped, decrepit walkways with open, beautiful concourses
• Expand track capacity, including the introduction of at least limited through-running on the regional rail network
• Enable new retail, better wayfinding, and other passenger experience improvements, all while maintaining the iconic Madison Square Garden with a new cladding for a classical look, and
• Improve the station’s existing subterranean structure

Knicks owner’s close source expressed gratitude

Previous reports emerged that alleged that Trump would make the final decision in deciding the finalists. There were talks that MSG would be moved to Seventh Avenue as part of the Grand Penn Partners’ plan. In fact, that was supported by Trump and GOP mega-donor Tom Klingenstein. But now, Penn Transformation Partners (Halmar and Skanska) is the private Master Developer team to lead the $8 billion project.

Once this decision came to light, along with the news of Madison Square Garden remaining untouched, a close source to James Dolan said the following. “We congratulate Penn Transformation Partners on being selected to redevelop Penn Station following Amtrak’s process and look forward to working with all parties as their plan advances toward a new Penn Station,” an MSG Entertainment spokesperson said.

So, the MSG leadership appreciated the move, which keeps Madison Square connected to the planned Penn Station overhaul. Now, the entire focus of James Dolan and co will shift back to the playoffs.