Knicks news: Charles Oakley says Dennis Smith Jr. would have been a great Knick days after lauding Frank Ntilikina

The New York Knicks drafted Frank Ntilikina in the 2017 NBA Draft, but many thought the Knicks would select now-Mavs guard Dennis Smith Jr.

Former New York Knicks All-Star Charles Oakley still has some affinity for the New York Knicks despite his recent issues with owner James Dolan. In an incident last year, Oakley reportedly punched Madison Square Garden staffers and Dolan banned the former Knick from coming in MSG. Oakley's only All-Star appearance came as a Knick.

This past week, he made an appearance in Los Angeles for All-Star weekend. According to Ian Begley from ESPN, Oakley met with 2017 first-round pick Frank Ntilikina and told him he has a bright future ahead of him. A lot of Knicks fans expected big things from the rookie, but Ntilikina has not immediately helped the Knicks give a big step in their rebuild like Kristaps Porzingis did a couple of years ago.

Oakley recently made noise in social media when he posted a picture of him with Dallas Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. The image by itself may not cause a lot of controversies; it was the quote he posted the picture with that sparked the talk. Oakley said Smith “would've been a great Knick!”

Great family – Great kid – would've been a great Knick! @Dennis1SmithJr #Knicks https://t.co/YuKBBDLtUQ pic.twitter.com/bO4lSbElGZ

— Charles Oakley (@CharlesOakley34) February 23, 2018

Several fans were not shy about expressing their thoughts about Oakley's post. One said “Damn oak u said good luck to Frankie….. Man lol” and another went as far as to compare the Knicks legend with the rookie saying, “One of the best Knick defenders wanted a dude who plays no defense lol ookkk.”

All this is pretty awkward because the Knicks actually wanted a close look at Smith before last year's NBA draft, but things did not go as planned. Smith was regarded as one of the most athletic prospects in the class and felt disgusted by the fact that former Knicks President Phil Jackson requested him to pass a physical exam before their private pre-draft workout. The workout ended there – before it even got started – and Smith did not respond back to later invites from the Knicks.