For Laker fans thinking that things can’t get worse, or any fan of any woeful team in any sport, take the New York Knicks … please.
The Knicks aren’t the NBA’s worst team. It’s better than that.
They’re the richest, most powerful, most dysfunctional and — best of all! — most miserable, from clueless owner James Dolan to overmatched savior Phil Jackson to faux superstar Carmelo Anthony to long-suffering Spike Lee to the fans in the outer boroughs dreaming of a return to greatness.
Not that it’s been a long wait but the glory days began with the Knicks’ 1970 title and ended with their one in 1973 … 44 years ago … before most of today’s fans were born.
Outdoing themselves in a 119-115 loss to the Clippers, the Knicks blew a nine-point fourth-quarter lead in a game eclipsed by a melee in which a squadron of ushers wrestled former Knick great Charles Oakley to the ground, had him arrested — and handcuffed — by police, then banned him from Madison Sguare Garden … although, as Dolan put it magnanimously, it’s “not necessarily a lifetime ban.”
In other words, Oakley can apply for reinstatement if his behavior improves to Dolan’s satisfaction.
If this was even embarrassing for Dolan, it’s unclear what Oakley did, other than resist ushers’ attempts to eject him from his seat near the owner’s.
The Knicks are celebrating their 70th anniversary with a p.r. campaign around the slogan, “Once a Knick, Always a Knick” — it hasn’t applied to Oakley, an outspoken Dolan critic who hasn’t been asked back for tributes like his teammates.
Oakley claims Dolan has MSG security alert him when he’s there and follow him around the arena … a pattern once alleged by New York Daily News beat writer Frank Isola.
The Knicks also fired security chief Frank Benedetto, a highly decorated former Secret Service official for George W. Bush and Barack Obama — for letting Oakley take his seat after whatever he was supposed to have done.
This obliged them to try to eject Oakley in front of the fans, which caused all the trouble, at least p.r.-wise.
Amazingly, no one has yet said exactly what Oakley’s “abuses” entailed and who they were directed at.
In one of those Knick wagon-circling owner-protecting exercises, they interviewed myriad MSG staffers–yes, their own people, none of whom was dumb enough to stick up for Oakley—failing, nevertheless, to come up with a single specific incident.
As Dolan, himself, tried to break it down for ESPN’s Michael Kay:
“There were security people there who were abused. There were service people there who were abused…. not, you know not—in a really horrible, right, angry, nasty way, racially, with racial overtones, with sexual overtones, the stuff you never, ever want to hear….
“He has a problem with anger. He’s both physically and verbally abusive. He may have a problem with alcohol, we don’t know.”
So, aside from insinuating Oakley is a drunk, Dolan couldn’t point to any specific thing that he did.
With the claims and counter-claims, it came down to who to believe… so it was easy.
Oakley has a history of off-court confrontations but troubled or not, remains hugely popular with Knick fans as well as peers.
Innocent or not, Dolan has presided over the Knicks’ decline in his Emperor Commodus style — four playoff appearances in the last 15 seasons — after being put in charge of MSG by his father, Charles, the Cablevision founder.
Chris Paul tweeted Oakley is “the realest person our league has seen.” LeBron James called him “a legend.” Reggie Miller, the former Knick nemesis, now a broadcaster, who’s not supposed to be skewering owners, asked why any free agent would opt to “play for an owner who treats the past greats like this or a president [Jackson] who stabs star player [Anthony] in the back?”
Fans at the Rangers’ hockey game the next night chanted, “Free Oakley!” — after MSG security tried to eject the man who started it, only to scurry off when others began shooting more video.
The real anger came from Knick fans chanting “We Want Oakley!” in Friday’s game against Denver … as the Knicks blew a 12-point lead in a 131-123 loss, their 20th in 26 games.
With another season fading to black, Jackson wants to break up the team and rebuild around Kristaps Porzingis.
Now, if Melo would just take the hint and hit the pike.
The Knicks hoped to trade him for Blake Griffin or Kevin Love, only to learn they can’t get a young star for one who’s 32 and makes $24.6 million.
Oh, right, I apologize to any Clipper fans who went to LAX to wait for Melo, based on my piece noting the teams were “closing in” on a trade.
Hey, they could just be closing in very slowly.
More likely, it’s off. Offered role players like Austin Rivers, the Knicks pulled back, whether at Jackson’s call or Dolan’s.
When LeBron demanded more help, the Knicks called the Cavaliers again, asking for Love again. The Cavs turned them down again.
That’s where they are now with Phil passing the time by continuing to zing Melo on Twitter.
Jackson, a genius communicator as a coach, no longer talks to the New York writers. This has accomplished the impossible: making a sympathetic figure of Melo among the fans who figured out his deal years ago.
Quoth Spike Lee: “I’ll pack Phil’s bags for him.”
“Enough is enough,” said the New York Daily News, “Jim Dolan must step in and stop Phil Jackson’s bullying of Carmelo Anthony.”
Things have gotten so bad, Dolan may choose the newly popular Anthony over Jackson who’s now almost as reviled as the owner.
“Carmelo Anthony has more power with the Knicks right now than Phil Jackson,” tweeted ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “I expect Melo to outlast Phil in New York.”
Divorcing either will be expensive. Melo is owed $60 million over two-plus seasons. Jackson would be a relative bargain at $30 million.
In last week’s rare meeting with the press to explain the nuances of Oakley’s issues, Dolan was asked about Knick fans’ anger.
“Ask Phil,” said Dolan, still blameless and hopeless after all these years.
Mark Heisler has written an NBA column since 1991 and was honored with the Naismith Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Award in 2006.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
