Perry "small-town" Port
What a spectacle it was at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. Never in my life have I seen a group of security guards so petrified of asking an individual to leave a sporting event, especially that poor guy who got Charles Oakley’s finger in his face.
It has been a couple days since the legendary Knick was forcibly removed from MSG at the request of team owner James Dolan, and we have yet to see any proof of exactly what caused the whole fiasco. According to Dolan, Oakley became verbally abusive and has an alcohol problem. According to Oakley, he said nothing and the incident arose strictly from Dolan’s historic dislike of him.
What we do know is Dolan has fired his head of security and banned Charles Oakley from ever stepping foot in MSG again. It’s a good thing the Knicks have been playing good basketball and avoiding any sort of negative publicity, am I right? Sorry, what? The Knicks are 22-32 … and have seen Derrick Rose go MIA … and their president has publicly taken shots at their best player multiple times? Oh boy, what’s next?
Around here, we pride ourselves on being able to predict the future, in a way. But not even a crystal ball could tell you what’s coming next from this ridiculous franchise. Let’s give it a shot, nonetheless, and set some odds for Dolan, the Knicks, and Oakley.
What’s Next for Oakley and the Knicks
Odds James Dolan fires more of his security staff within the next week: 1/1
Well, this whole thing certainly isn’t Dolan’s fault! So other people’s heads will continue to roll.
Odds Charles Oakley steps foot in MSG again: 1/4
Are you going to stop him?
Odds on the inevitable fight between Charles Oakley and the Knicks’ security staff
- Charles Oakley: 1/7
- Knicks Security Staff: 7/1
If Oakley wanted to, he could have slapped those guys like they were a bunch of Charles Barkleys.
Odds James Dolan sits down with Charles Oakley for dinner: 1,000/1
I can completely understand Dolan being slightly afraid of Charles Oakley before Wednesday night, but he had the opportunity to make things right. Now he should be terrified of Oakley.
Odds Charles Oakley sues James Dolan for defamation: 1/1
If you’re going to say that someone has a drinking problem in the media, there better be some factual evidence to fall back on. If not, that’s called defamation. Who knows whether Oakley will want to pursue it in court, though.
Odds James Dolan turns on another legendary Knick: 4/1
We’re not considering Carmelo Anthony “legendary,” right?
Odds more former Knicks are banned from MSG: 3/2
I’m just going to leave this right here …
Odds James Dolan is forced to sell the Knicks: 9/1
As embarrassing as Wednesday night was for him and the organization, he’s no Donald Sterling … yet.
Odds on who is hated more
- James Dolan: 1/1
- Dean Spanos, Owner of the
San DiegoLos Angeles Chargers: 7/3 - Christian Laettner: 4/1
Spanos may be loathed by all the Chargers fans in San Diego, but that’s just one city. And Laettner hasn’t played any meaningful basketball since the ’90s. Oakley is beloved by more than just Knick fans.
Odds the Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony before the deadline: 7/3
Melo has a no-trade clause. Considering how much he loves being in New York, the nine-time All-Star may sit tight and wait for Phil Jackson to be gone. On the other hand, after the way Anthony has been labeled by the team, why would anyone give up anything meaningful to acquire him?
Odds Carmelo Anthony retires a Knick: 7/2
He’ll be 33 years old before an NBA Champion is crowned this year. At some point, Anthony has to go chasing a ring.
Odds the Knicks make the playoffs this year: 7/1
The Eastern Conference should be ashamed that the Knicks are only a few games out of the final playoff spot.
Odds James Dolan fires Phil Jackson before the end of the season: 5/3
These two are perfect for each other. They will drive one of the storied NBA franchises into the ground, but show excellent teamwork in doing so.
Odds Jeff Hornacek is the Knicks’ head coach next season: 3/1
Someone has to go.
Odds the Knicks re-sign Derrick Rose to a max-contract: 2/1
Rose has actually played a little better lately, but he’s a shell of his MVP-self. Giving the injury-prone point guard a max-contract would be asinine. In other words, you can bank on the Knicks doing it!
Odds the Knicks change their name to the New York Dolans: 500/1
The name “Knicks” just no longer encapsulates what this team is really about.
Photo Credit: Kevin Coles (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/].
