James Dolan has been an NBA owner since the late 90s, but he hasn’t exactly been a sentimental figure among fans of his New York Knicks franchise. Now, one veteran journalist has accused the billionaire of conspiring with other owners to block the league’s growth.On the June 25 episode of his namesake podcast, Bill Simmons discussed the topic of the NBA’s potential expansion with insider Chris Mannix. When Mannix speculated that the league could be welcoming two new teams over the next three years, Simmons brought up the potential hindrance to that scenario.”You know who’s roadblocking them right now? James Dolan,” Simmons told Mannix. “He’s got a little cabal of anti-expansion owners…He doesn’t want it. He doesn’t want to share media rights.” [Timestamp – 1:01:56]Mannix, who cited the recent $10 billion sale of the LA Lakers as a possible motivating force for prospective new owners, also expressed his belief that the group of Dolan — who has a net worth of $2 billion according to Celebrity Net Worth — woudn’t have enough sway to ultimately stop the league’s expansion.The last expansion team to join the NBA was the Charlotte Bobcats, which entered the league in 2004. The team later on rebranded and brought back the identity of the Charlotte Hornets, which remains their official moniker to this day.For years, two cities have been frequently linked with expansion teams: Las Vegas, which currently fields a team in the WNBA; and Seattle, which used to be the home of the beloved SuperSonics team. If Simmons’ report is accurate, Dolan could possibly be getting in the way of either city getting an expansion team.”He views himself as an artist”: Analyst gives two cents on James Dolan and Knicks organization’s search for new NBA head coachSimmons is not the only analyst who has recently spoken out against Dolan. Speaking on the “Hoops Tonight” podcast earlier this month, Colin Cowherd attributed the Knicks’ unique strategy of interviewing other teams’ head coaches to Dolan’s distinct approach.”James Dolan, who’s been in a band, views himself as an artist,” Cowherd said. “When he wants to get a GM, he goes after a star: Phil Jackson. [Tom Thibodeau] isn’t his kind of guy, so who does he go after? Jason Kidd, who’s a star.”Cowherd added that the Knicks’ decision to let go of Thibodeau was a “big mistake” as this dismissal had a negative impact on the team’s culture. To date, Dolan and the Knicks front office have not decided yet on a new head coach.