NYC Legend Charles Oakley Gets Brutally Honest on the State of the Knicks

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Killer 3's head coach and former New York Knick Charles Oakley looks on during a BIG3 bout with Trilogy in 2021.

The New York Knicks were well represented at NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. From Jericho Sims’ Dunk Contest action to Quentin Grimes in the Rising Stars Challenge to Julius Randle tackling both the All-Star Game itself and the Three-Point Contest, there was no shortage of things for Knicks fans to watch.

Sure, it was largely rough viewing outside of Grimes’ heroics in his event, but the recognition is really the thing here. And it’s clearly the byproduct of the team’s incredible year-over-year progression.

On the day of this writing in 2022, the Knicks were nine games under .500 and sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Flash forward to now and the club is currently holding down the six spot with a record of 33-27.

Whether that means the team has set itself up for postseason success remains to be seen. For his part, Knicks legend Charles Oakley needs to see more before he can fully buy in to his old team.

Former New York Knick Charles Oakley Thinks the Team Still Has a Lot to Prove

Oakley was in Phoenix for the Super Bowl earlier this month when the folks over TMZ caught up with him for an interview. When asked about the Knicks’ outlook amid their return to relevancy in 2022-23, the 59-year-old ex-power forward maintained that more data is required.

He had no problem acknowledging the fact that strides have been made, however.

“It’s 55-60 games of the season and 25-30 more left. Let’s see what happens in the playoffs, where they get, what round are they going to — either play-in [or] regular,” Oakley said. “It’s too early to judge… [Jalen] Brunson is doing great things with them. I think Julius has picked his game up — he started off slow. RJ [Barrett]…

“So, they got some pieces. Just keep jelling.”

While the process sounds relatively straightforward, Oakley noted that the task can be tougher in the Big Apple than in other places.

“When you’re playing in New York, you’re going to have a target on your back and you have to perform. Ain’t no ifs, ands or buts — you’ve got to perform.”

Oakley knows a thing or two about bringing playoff basketball to the City. The former baller spent 10 of his 19 seasons with the Knicks, during which he appeared in 727 regular-season games and 113 playoff contests. He still ranks third in franchise history with 7,291 rebounds in a Knicks uniform.

Jay Wright Sounds Off on Jalen Brunson-Josh Hart Connection

Recently retired Villanova coach Jay Wright had the pleasure of coaching both Brunson and the newest Knick, Josh Hart, during their college days. And he’s taking more pleasure now from the duo’s fortuitous New York team-up.

“You’re like a proud father, you’re watching your kids out there,” Wright told the New York Post recently. “It’s like they’re starting a business or something.”

Of course, the 61-year-old — who won national championships in 2016 and 2018 and amassed a 520-197 record over two decades with the program — isn’t the only one who feels that way.

“Villanova people are just going crazy over it because they’re all Knicks fans,” Wright added. “It’s really thrilling for all of us. To see the joy it’s bringing all the Villanova people, and I should say the people who aren’t Knicks fans, they are now, Villanovans.”