Jurassic Snark: Toronto Raptors Lawyers Rip New York Knicks' Lawsuit

Attorneys representing the Toronto Raptors have ripped the New York Knicks' lawsuit claiming the funneling of inside, proprietary information.

The shot clock has reset on the New York Knicks' and Toronto Raptors' legal battle.

SNY's Ian Begley has reported that attorneys for the Raptors' ownership group, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, have attacked the Knicks' lawsuit against the team, one that claims a former employee funneled proprietary and confidential information upon taking a new job with Toronto.

MLSE lawyers filed a motion that labeled the suit as "baseless" and a "public relations stunt" in a Monday motion. The defendants in the suit include the employee in question, Ike Azotam, and first-year Toronto head coach Darko Rajaković. 

Azotam, formerly employed in the Knicks' video and analytical departments, is alleged to have "illegally procured and disclosed proprietary information." Per Begley, the goal of Monday's motion is to have the civil suit filed in August dismissed and instead arbitrated by the NBA, namely commissioner Adam Silver. 

RJ Barrett (center) handles the ball in one of the Knicks' meetings with the Raptors last season / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

While Silver has remained mostly mum on the Knicks' allegations, Raptors brass has been vocal in its denials: MLSE announced its intentions to "fully cooperate" with any potential investigation shortly after the lawsuit's filing. Rajaković and Raptors president Masai Ujiri were outright flippant when asked about the Knicks' claims when the team reconvened last month.

"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," Rajaković said, per Aaron Rose of All Raptors. "I know that there's nothing that I should be worried about and I cannot wait for this lawsuit to be over so everybody can find the truth.”

[[UPDATE: 10/16/23, 2:10 p.m. ET]] A spokesperson for Madison Square Garden Sports has commented on the Raptors' motion to All Knicks.

“As we have previously stated, given the theft of proprietary and confidential files and clear violation of criminal and civil law, we were left no choice but to take this to federal court and are confident the judicial system will agree," the spokesperson said.

In an August interview with All Knicks, Tampa-based attorney and trade secrets Kevin Paule said that the method of obtaining the Knicks' information could be the key in whether the suit is decided in a civil manner or if law enforcement needs to be involved.

"I'm not trying to speculate but it may be a matter where, separate from the lawsuits and separate from any sort of criminal issue, the National Basketball Association may decide that this is conduct prohibited by the rules governing the league," Paule said. "Perhaps there's some sort of punishment for the Toronto Raptors organization."

Paule also mentioned that there's legal precedence in the sports world to what the Knicks have done: in 2015, an FBI investigation confirmed that Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals accessed the scouting database of the Houston Astros. St. Louis was eventually charged two picks in the 2017 MLB Draft (which were sent to Houston) and was also forced to pay the Astros $2 million in compensation. 

Former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa was charged with "multiple counts of unauthorized access of a protected computer" for his role in the scheme. Correa was sentenced to 46 months in prison and banned from baseball.

As Atlantic Division rivals, New York and Toronto are set to battle on a different kind of court four times this season: the first is scheduled for Dec. 1 at Scotiabank Arena.