BROOKLYN DODGER
Oak declines to discuss Dolan, Knick B.S. at B.I.G. party
CHARLES OAKLEY finally attended another Knicks game in New York. Only it was in Brooklyn and security left him alone.
The 53-year-old, still engaged in a feud with Knicks owner James Dolan, watched courtside at Barclays Center as his former team was trounced by the Nets in yet another feeble performance. Oakley declined to talk about the Knicks — or Dolan — but indicated earlier in the night that things remain status quo and he’s not ready to return to the Garden.
When asked about the current Knicks’ effort on the court, Oakley told a reporter to judge for himself (the evidence was pretty damning). He left his seat with three minutes remaining and the Knicks trailing by 10 to the Nets, the worst team in the league.
“I have nothing to say about the Knicks,” Oakley said. “You’re watching the game.”
Oakley was in Brooklyn on ‘Biggie Night’ to promote the new 3-on-3 league comprised of former NBA players, with the first game slated for June 25 at Barclays Center.
Oakley is the eldest of the participating players, but pointed to his physique when asked if he’s still in shape. “How I look?” Oakley said. Not that he’s been spending much time on the court.
“You don’t have to play a lot,” he said. “It’s a half-court league.”
Latrell Sprewell, who was welcomed back to the Knicks by Dolan in the wake of Oakley’s arrest at the Garden last month, is among the other players in the league, which is owned by Ice Cube. Other players include Allen Iverson and Jason (White Chocolate) Williams.
Oakley will serve as a player/coach, and he seems keen on rejoining an NBA bench after a short stint as an assistant with the Bobcats that ended in 2011.
“Everybody knows what I can do,” Oakley said. “It ain’t just something I started doing. I’ve been playing the game for 18 years. I coached in Charlotte a couple of years. So they know what I know and what I don’t know, and I know a lot more than what I don’t know.”
Oakley was kicked out and arrested at the Garden after an altercation with security guards on Feb. 8. He was then banned from the arena by Dolan, who intimated that Oakley had a problem with alcohol.
The ban was lifted following a meeting between Oakley and Dolan that was mediated by Commissioner Adam Silver. But Oakley, a former All-Star with the Knicks and fan favorite, has refused to come back to MSG. Instead, he has watched Knicks games from courtside seats in Cleveland and Brooklyn.
On Sunday, Oakley sat next to Ice Cube and a few seats down from Puff Daddy, a friend from their days in New York during the ’90s.