Drama with players past and present
Derrick Rose
In January, Rose went MIA with no explanation to the team before a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Rose’s lack of attendance was the biggest story in a game where Carmelo Anthony was ejected with two technical fouls, Kyle O’Quinn was ejected on a Flagrant 2 and Anthony Davis scored 40 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.
Rose would eventually explain that he had a family emergency and his absence had nothing to do with rumored tension between him and Head Coach Jeff Hornacek. Rose was fined $200,000 by the team for his unreported absence.
After suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee the NBA reported on April 2, 2017, that he would miss the remaining five games of the season and have to have surgery. This would be the end of Rose’s short tenure with the Knicks as he decided to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent.
Charles Oakley
The Knicks would not confine their dramatics with players to their present roster. On February 7th, 2018 Charles Oakley was arrested and later charged with three counts of assault after shoving security at Madison Square Garden.
While the Knicks claimed that Oakley was abusive from the moment he entered the Garden for the game, not surprisingly Oakley saw things very differently and video footage that was later publicized seems to support Oakley’s description of events.
I will say, the Tweet that the Knicks posted regarding the incident did put me very much in mind of the tone of Dolan’s “we don’t want you” email which seemed like quite an overreaction to me. I’d even bet that Dolan more than just saw the Tweet but also had a hand in composing it. And judging by comments to the Tweet, fans weren’t impressed.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 9, 2017
Following the initial incident:
- Oakley took a deal to have the charges dismissed and expunged from his record.
- Oakley was banned from the Garden for a year.
- Dolan and Oakley have a meeting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and 14-time All-Star Michael Jordan and the ban was dropped.
- Oakley filed a civil suit naming James Dolan, Madison Square Garden Company and MSG
- Sports Entertainment with causes of action including defamation, libel, and slander. As recently as March of this year, the suit was still pending.
I think the fact that John McEnroe, one of the most volatile, controversial athletes in sports history was getting fed up with the Knicks by this point and was in disbelief at the spectacle pretty much sums up just how far the Knicks had fallen.