An interesting note in Peter Vecsey's Friday New York Post column has the Knicks thinking about bringing Charles Oakley in to help the team's big men get "down and dirty" before next season. Of all the ideas posited to help the Knicks take a step forward, none are better than this one.
Want to get Eddy Curry into a position to actually help you on the court or through a trade? It would help if he gave a damn about the game, and it would help if he used his size for something other than padding a custom tailor's bank account. A couple of weeks getting mauled by Oakley just might light a fire in the massive disappointment.
At some point everyone fought back against Oakley's collection of elbows to the kidneys and hard fouls, taking them out of their game and giving the Knicks an edge. That's just what the doctor ordered for a team that looked like they'd never heard of defense and thought that they'd catch chlamydia just from touching the painted area on their own side of the court.
Alas, a couple of weeks of Oakley boot camp won't do the trick if Curry and company are just going to go back to their listless dispositions the second he leaves town. Oakley sitting on the bench, face full of promise of beatings to come in the next day's practice, might do the trick, however.
Would Oakley leave his role as Michael Jordan's partying buddy for a full-time seat on Mike D'Antoni's bench? Seems unlikely, but every man has his price. The Knicks should find out Oakley's and bring a little early '90's bravado back to Madison Square Garden.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
