Oakley Not Impressed With The Current Edition Of The Knicks

One of the tough guys from years past, Charles Oakley isn’t afraid to let his opinion known about anything. That would include the current make up of the New York Knicks and how they treated him and Patrick Ewing, Isiah Thomas’ role with the team, and whether Amar’e Stoudemire is the man to lead the Knicks back to the promised land.

While he was in New York to launch his clothing collection at the K1X store in SoHo, he didn’t have too many kind words to say about the Knicks organization.

He doesn’t think too highly of Stoudemire’s game and thinks he’s too West Coast to play in New York.

“Amar’e’s good, he’s good in his way,” Oakley said yesterday at the launch of his clothing collection at K1X’s store in SoHo. “He’s a West Coast player trying to translate to the East Coast. And the longer he plays in the East, the more his body’s gonna get damaged, because he’s got to take a beating now.”

Gotta disagree with Oak here. The East isn’t the physical beast that it was when he played. Also the league is more athletic than it was back then which suits Stoudemire’s game a whole lot better than it would’ve been back in the 80’s and 90’s. The players are more multiskilled than they were back then.It’s an ongoing debate, but you must agree that the players of today are more athletic than years past.

Stoudemire might not be the player to get the Knicks to the promised land but stranger things have happened. I won’t say he is and I won’t say he won’t lead them there, but he did seem to take more of a leadership role on the team when things started going south early in the season.

I do agree with what he said about head coach Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks will tease and excite you, but when it’s time to play halfcourt ball and get grimy, the Knicks fall short. Don’t believe me, watch the first two games of the series against the Boston Celtics and tell me why they lost. They can’t play in the halfcourt.

“I don’t think [it can be successful], but that’s his coaching style,” Oakley said. “They knew when they signed him. … When you go buy a Bentley, you know it’s not a Volkswagen. When they signed him, they knew what they were getting.

“That conversation should be dead, because it’s a West Coast offense playing in a hard-nosed city.


“You always give somebody a chance to prove themselves. I mean, this is his fourth year. He’s had a lot of time. … I think it’s just more half-court offense, and they need the big, tough guy. He don’t want to play that way, but finesse, it’s not gonna work.”

“I mean, they’ve got hype,” he said. “But hype don’t win nothing.”

That should’ve been known when the Phoenix Suns couldn’t get past the Spurs when D’Antoni coached them. Run and gun doesn’t win in playoff time. Check and see how many titles Doug Moe won when he was coaching.

About the Knicks organization as a whole, he still has love for them but feels disrespected by them for not offering him a job in any capacity.

“[The Knicks] don’t want nothing to do with me,” said Oakley, who played for the Knicks from 1988-98. “I don’t know why. I tried to deal with them on several occasions. I’m not gonna keep trying.


“They don’t like Patrick, either. They won’t give Patrick a job, so I know they won’t give me a job. Patrick should have a job before anyone. He’s probably the best guy since [Walt] Frazier, [Earl] Monroe … he’s the main guy on the list.”

“My door is always open to the Knicks,” he said. “I tell them all the time. They said something about I told LeBron to go to Miami. I was like, ‘You all have to be one of the craziest organizations in the world.’

“Y’all should have tried to call me and talk to me, and maybe we could have gotten LeBron to New York. You went to Isiah [Thomas], and some of these other guys that don’t know the guy.”

True indeed. Patrick Ewing shouldn’t have to go anywhere else to be an assistant or have his name mentioned with other coaching jobs. As for Oakley, I don’t think anyone would be asking you to court free agents for their team anytime soon, considering your disdain for today’s players.

Last but not least was the aforementioned Isiah Thomas. He doesn’t like him and I doubt he ever will. Oakley gave him a piece of his mind since he happened to bring him up.

“I don’t understand how he even got a job with management,” said Oakley, 47. “He had nothing to do with the Knicks, then he talked bad about the Knicks … If I see him, he’d better turn around and go the other way.”

Well Charles, last time I checked Isiah Thomas never ran from anyone and never will. He was one of the toughest “little guys” to ever play the game, and considering his track record I don’t think he’d be turning the othere way when he saw you. He still has that Chicago swagger in him and won’t back down from anyone.

D’Antoni Is A Bad Late Game Coach

New York Knicks head man Mike D’Antoni is not a bad coach. Not by any means. He can get your team to the playoffs, rack up plenty of wins in the regular season, and plays an exciting style of basketball. His only problem is that he’s a bad late game coach.

Watching the Knicks melt down in the first two games in the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Boston Celtics reminded me of when he was coaching the Phoenix Suns. Suns fans probably know what I’m talking about and were probably having flashbacks watching the Knicks give away the first two games to the Celtics.

For all the flash the Suns had, they constantly found ways to lose to the Spurs, among others, in the playoffs. The Suns were always there in the end but found ways to lose it. Credit D’Antoni for that. He wasn’t the greatest late game tactician. That flaw reared it’s ugly head in games 1 and 2.

In game 1 Amare’ Stoudamire was punishing Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter, but for some reason he didn’t see the ball down the stretch. Now if Stoudamire is the hot hand you keep going to it, don’t you? I know I would, but I’m only a Playstation coach so how would I know. All plays should’ve been ran through Stoudamire, save for Toney Douglas’ three pointer. Then you let Carmelo Anthony settle for a 30 footer for the last shot. Take your chances for overtime. I didn’t watch much of game 2, but I saw enough to come to the realization that D’Antoni doesn’t make the best choices late in the game.

The Knocks will be a force in the Eastern Conference in the years to come, whether D’Antoni will be there to see it through I don’t know. I’m not calling for his job, but the Knicks are destined to become the new age version of the 1980’s Milwaukee Bucks. Win a lot of games, but won’t win big in the playoffs.    

Stoudemire Not Loving New York Right Now

It’s gonna be a long year Amare

After the Minnesota meltdown and being kicked around by the Rockets on Sunday, Amare Stoudemire isn’t liking what he sees in New York right now. Especially after fans rained boos on the Knicks in the fourth quarter.

Stoudemire says his teammates are accustomed to losing and they need to play with a sense of urgency. “It’s definitely something that I’m not accustomed to. It’s not fun. “We’re a young team and we make mistakes but we can’t keep doing the exact same thing every night. We just gotta find a way to grow up.”

Well Amare, this is what you signed up for and you should’ve known what you were getting yourself into. A Knicks team that’s going nowhere. Hey, you’re the one who took the money and ran.

Stoudemire also added this.  “I don’t understand why we’re not playing with the urgency. I’m not used to that. “We’re not playing like we’re on a four-game losing streak, now five. We don’t have that sense of urgency. It’s almost as if it doesn’t matter and it’s not something I’m used to.”

You’re not used to it, but you better get used to it. You were the lone big time free agent that signed with the Knicks with no help on the way. You, my man, are not a one man calvary. But you’re so used to winning, you should’ve went to Chicago. Here’s more from the $100 million dollar man.

“We just can’t have guys complacent and comfortable with losing. “I can’t stand that. It’s more attitude. It’s more heart. We have to show more heart and go after it. We’re still not having that sense of urgency to dig for loose balls, get down on the floor. We’re not showing that we really want it. Maybe the winning mentality has never been here. “I’m used to winning.”

That’s right their not used to winning, but you were blinded by dollar signs. You should’ve checked the record and did your due diligence. I just think Stoudemire was focused on getting his money and his stats. Since he was winning in Phoenix and was going to play for a coach he was familiar with (Mike D’Antoni) he threw conventional wisdom out the window. My conventional wisdom says, take a little less and sign with a team that has a real chance of winning.

Stoudemire better mind trick himself and do it fast, because there is no immediate help on the horizon.    

 

  

Amare Stoudemire Is Going Alex Haley On Us

I know.He’s a Knick now

New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire is set on tracing his Israeli roots and possible Jewish heritage. Stoudemire is on a visit to Israel, says he has Hebrew roots through his mother.

She studied the scriptures and history and she believes she is a Hebrew,” he told The Associated Press on Friday in Jerusalem. “I grew up in a very spiritual home. It’s not about religion, it’s about spirituality for me.”

This is very interesting that Stoudemire might have Jewish lineage. I’m interested in seeing how this turns out. I’m glad that he’s tracing his roots, since you don’t hear too much about this going on with professional athletes.

Look for Stoudemire to have a monster playoff

Yes,the NBA playoffs have started and its basketball til you fall.The story I’m interested in for this year’s is if Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire has a big postseason.I suspect he will.First,he played exceptionally well after the trade deadline after he found out he wouldn’t be traded and could finally concentrate on playing ball.Secondly,he knows if he has a big playoff,it could result in a big payoff. I suspect that he plays with a chip on his shoulder and nearly gets Phoenix to the Western confernce finals,while putting up big numbers.I could be wrong here,but I say he puts this team on his back.If he does he could be laughing all the way to the bank this summer.