Charles Oakley was not surprised to see prominent free agents like Kevin Durant and others walk to the other side of the city to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, as hopes of signing KD and partnering him with Kyrie Irving came crashing down fast during the first hours of free agency.
The longtime Knicks legends attributed that decision to the way the organization has treated him, most specifically the 2017 incident at Madison Square Garden, where he was booted from the venue by owner James Dolan.
“They weren’t happy with what they saw, me being dragged out of the Garden,’’ said Oakley, who claims to have befriended Durant, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. “If they do it to him, anything can happen.
“I talk to a lot of guys and their representatives, too. A lot of them were upset about what happened two years ago. People respect me and what went on wasn’t right. They don’t want that environment. I feel bad for the city.”
Durant, Irving, and other high-profile free agents have gotten wind of the toxicity around the Knicks, despite cleaning up their front office two seasons ago and bringing in two reputable people in Steve Mills and Scott Perry.
In fairly recent memory, the Knicks have dispatched the likes of Larry Brown, Mike D'Antoni, and Jeff Hornacek. They dragged Carmelo Anthony's name through the mud during his last season with the team. They hired and fired Phil Jackson without any sense of accountability.
They humiliated Oakley as Dolan failed to reconcile with the former franchise star. They traded Kristaps Porzingis, but only after sending out a clear leak to besmirch his intentions with the franchise.
Oakley is confident that NBA players can smell that smoke even from miles away, hence their decision to go to Brooklyn, where they have managed to rebuild in four years, while the Knicks continued misery is at 20 years and counting.
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