franco12 wrote:I'm gonna vote yes- partly because it is such a losing proposition with posters here.

This is about all time great knicks, not hall of fame NBA players.

And while he was here, he wasn't the most skilled, but he was a winner and gave 1000% effort and had a will to win.

With Ewing, he helped the franchise to win year after year, all without a whole lot of talent.

Looking at these Knicks fall short against the Celts, we could use someone like Oakley. I'm not talking about knuckle head hard fouls, but about a will to win, a desire to do whatever was needed to win the game. to dive for the lose balls, to take the charge, to come up with the big shot or rebound.

It would have been nice to have won a championship, but the team we had gave it their all, overachieved every year.

Melo in 7 seasons had one of distinction leading the league in scoring and being a strong candidate for an MVP season. HE very much statistically was strong the other 6 but teams only won one playoff series. The teams not of any fault of his were just not strong.

SupremeCommander wrote:

KnickDanger wrote:Oakley was my all time favorite Knick until I served him as a bartender. Anyway, as great as he was and as important as he was to those Knick teams, he just isn’t in that stratosphere.

please share this story

One of my bosses told me he managed a bar in NYC and some of the Knicks came in and got wrecked, only to get wrecked by the Bulls in their next game..... which was a playoff game.

Allanfan20 wrote:I have said this a million times before and I’ll say it again. If you retire Oaks’ number, fine. Go ahead. The problem is that you MUST retire the numbers of King, Melo, Houston, Starks, Sprewell, Jackson and maybe even Marbury. All of a sudden, you look like the WWE HOF. Everyone makes it!

I personally wouldn’t retire any of their numbers except MAYBE King. I didn’t know the Knicks existed when King was with them so I couldn’t really tell you that about him though. His Knick career was so short and injury filled!

Have to admit while very happy for his inclusion i was suprised based on his NBA career. It was excellent and talent wise he was deserving but it was uneven. The emotional pull as a kid that got his act together and came home to thrive was great. His return from ACL to the level he achieved a was also quite an achievement.
I would hardly be upset by him and Melo’s numbers being retired but just understanding the benchmark as it stands I don’t hold knicks as being disrespectful. Him and Melo are no doubt “NBA all time greats” but “Knick great” is a different classification. Not saying it by any means it supersedes HOF by any standard. Just that their knicks career is just a part of bigger career. King’s apex was here as might have Melos. That does matter.
I’d have to put Oak 10 years and playoff achievements a bit higher if there was as scale. This is fair given I’m not to happy with Oak these days!

Welpee wrote:

Nalod wrote:King HOF election does include his College experience which matters. Its the “Basketball HOF”, not just NBA. HE played 208 of 874 games with knicks.

Have to admit while very happy for his inclusion i was suprised based on his NBA career. It was excellent and talent wise he was deserving but it was uneven. The emotional pull as a kid that got his act together and came home to thrive was great. His return from ACL to the level he achieved a was also quite an achievement.
I would hardly be upset by him and Melo’s numbers being retired but just understanding the benchmark as it stands I don’t hold knicks as being disrespectful. Him and Melo are no doubt “NBA all time greats” but “Knick great” is a different classification. Not saying it by any means it supersedes HOF by any standard. Just that their knicks career is just a part of bigger career. King’s apex was here as might have Melos. That does matter.
I’d have to put Oak 10 years and playoff achievements a bit higher if there was as scale. This is fair given I’m not to happy with Oak these days!

I don't know. I would view Oakley getting his number retired similar to Memphis retiring Tony Allen's number. Yeah, he was good but was he ever number retiring good? Maybe if we were an expansion team and was desperate to hang somebody's number in the rafters I would go for it. But this is the New York Knicks. I feel like our standards should be a bit higher than that.

I agree. The standards are very high and its why I don’t really buy into the notion it was offered it to him.
IF we are to change it, then perhaps.

“This is NY Knicks”........Uh, our story has many angles to it. Much of it not so good actually. WE did not choose our fandom. It just happens.

Philc1 wrote:I met Oak at the shop rite in palisades park, NJ. Very nice guy. Retire his number

I met him at a Walgreens in Nanuet and he was buying some Old Spice products. He had a coupon from Duane Reade and they would not take it. 30% off if you buy 3 or more. He was buying two. Manager came over as he was making a fuss. Oak made it like he was leaving and wanted everyone to know who he was and was never coming back. Manager then went to take the two body washes back to the isle and Oak said “Touch my body wash and see what happens?” Manager then said, OK, then your buying them? Oak moves closer and repeats the statement. BY now the Pharmacist was on the phone with the police. Before they came an equipment manager for the Ranagers named “Pete” had called into the MSG security desk who called the Knicks security who did have a direct line to Dolan. According to Pete, Dolan had the dude call the walgreens and had offered to pay for the. Body wash. BY then Oak had gone and put a box of extra large condoms in basket. Oak made sure everyone knew “I have this box of condoms........Oh its not for me, its Acorn, my son.....You know, Acorn don’t fall far from the tree”..... When the manager told oak who paid for it he left without taking a thing. Muttered “Dam, I could not get it up if I knew Dolan paid for my rubbers!!!!”.
Dolan is in his head.
This is fiction.

Nalod wrote:

Philc1 wrote:I met Oak at the shop rite in palisades park, NJ. Very nice guy. Retire his number

I met him at a Walgreens in Nanuet and he was buying some Old Spice products. He had a coupon from Duane Reade and they would not take it. 30% off if you buy 3 or more. He was buying two. Manager came over as he was making a fuss. Oak made it like he was leaving and wanted everyone to know who he was and was never coming back. Manager then went to take the two body washes back to the isle and Oak said “Touch my body wash and see what happens?” Manager then said, OK, then your buying them? Oak moves closer and repeats the statement. BY now the Pharmacist was on the phone with the police. Before they came an equipment manager for the Ranagers named “Pete” had called into the MSG security desk who called the Knicks security who did have a direct line to Dolan. According to Pete, Dolan had the dude call the walgreens and had offered to pay for the. Body wash. BY then Oak had gone and put a box of extra large condoms in basket. Oak made sure everyone knew “I have this box of condoms........Oh its not for me, its Acorn, my son.....You know, Acorn don’t fall far from the tree”..... When the manager told oak who paid for it he left without taking a thing. Muttered “Dam, I could not get it up if I knew Dolan paid for my rubbers!!!!”.
Dolan is in his head.
This is fiction.

I was at the cash register at the supermarket buying a coffee and donut to eat at the cafe before going for my morning run in the park. There was a very tall Black man behind me on the line. After I go to sit down the man came over to me with a set of car keys and said “I think these are yours.” I said no they aren’t mine but thank you. As he walked away I realized who he was and I was like holy ****