New York Knicks legend Charles Oakley blasted the team's “bad” and “toxic” culture after the Knickerbockers failed to lure this summer's top free agents.
Speaking with Kimberly Jones and John Jastremski on WFAN — as transcribed by Mark Cifat of WFAN Radio — Oakley chimed in on the Knicks' failure to sign Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
New York has always been deemed as an attractive spot for players. Apart from being the so-called mecca of basketball, the place itself presents tons of marketing opportunities for players. For Oakley, however, the players' perception towards New York and the Knicks have changed.
“For the fans, New York is New York,” the 55-year-old former Knick said. “But for the players now, it's just a different ball game. I mean, they don't want to be around a bad, toxic situation.”
Oakley also used the incident he was involved in two years ago at Madison Square Garden. He was involved in an altercation during one game and Knicks owner, James Dolan, had him thrown out of the arena. For him, the situation is representative of the ‘toxic' culture within the organization.
He also singled out the Durant situation. According to reports, the Knicks organization did not offer Durant a max contract, citing his Achilles injury as a cause of concern. Oakley said that it was a risk that they had to take as a talent like Durant doesn't come often.
“You'll probably never get the chance to sign a guy like that in the next 10 years,” Oakley explained. “Why not take a chance? It's going to take you a year or two to win anyways…”
The Knicks have been tagged as the major losers of the 2019 free agency. Though they still have a decent young core in Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr., and lottery pick RJ Barret, fans expected both Durant and Irving to don the legendary Knicks jersey. They simply failed. Now, they're being exposed.
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