Former Knick Charles Oakley arrested after fighting, getting tossed out of Madison Square Garden

On Wednesday night, Charles Oakley showed everyone the same bruising style that he displayed for decades on the basketball court while the New York Knicks met the Los Angeles Clippers — only this time the retired NBA star did it in street clothes and in the stands at Madison Square Garden.

The former New York Knick forward, known for his physical type of play that made him an all-star and helped the Knicks reach the NBA Finals in 1994, adding another bizarre chapter to what has already been an ugly Knicks season after getting physically removed from his MSG seats and arrested — reportedly on the orders of Knicks owner James Dolan.

Soooooo Charles Oakley just got into a fight at he Knicks game. pic.twitter.com/klZBD89VI7

— Ian Schafer (@ischafer) February 9, 2017

Moments after being arrested and released from Midtown South police station at around midnight, Oakley said that the Garden security asked him to leave because Dolan, who was seated just a few feet away, did not want him there.

“I was there for four minutes,” Oakley said late Wednesday night. “I didn’t say anything to him. I swear on my mother. They came over and wanted to know why I was sitting there. I bought the ticket. I said why do you guys keep staring at me. Then they asked me to leave. And I said I’m not leaving”

Sources at the Garden and NYPD dispute Oakley’s account of the altercation, saying the scuffle was provoked by the former Knick yelling at his longtime nemesis Dolan.

Oakley was asked by several members of Garden security to leave, and then was seen shoving the phalanx of security guards and appeared to take a swipe at one. He even handed his watch to someone seated next to him before being escorted out. 

The white-haired Oakley was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault by the NYPD, including criminal trespass. A source said that Oakley declined legal representation because he was only hit with a desk appearance ticket. He was released from the Midtown South precinct at around midnight by police and snuck out the back door and into a black SUV, avoiding the waiting press outside.

Still a fan favorite, Oakley has a contentious history with Dolan and has been excluded from invitations and tributes reserved for former players. Oakley claims the owner doesn't like his outspoken criticism of the team and that the team’s slogan — “Once a Knick, Always a Knick” — hasn’t applied to the former All-Star under Dolan's reign.

The Knicks probably could have used old Oak out on the floor. They lost again, 119-115.

Derrick Rose could bring rape case PR nightmare to Knicks

The newest member of the New York Knicks, Derrick Rose, is bringing more than just his talent to the NBA team and, if the former MVP's sexual battery case goes to trial Oct. 4, the first day of preseason and Rose is liable, the Knicks organization could start the season with a PR nightmare.

Outside of suffering numerous injuries with the Chicago Bulls, the star point guard has been accused in a lawsuit of drugging and gang raping a woman along with two of his close friends.

The woman, identified as "Jane Doe" in the suit which was filed in 2015, claims that Rose and two of his friends entered her California apartment and gang raped her in August of 2013.

The 27-year-old Rose denied the allegations but did acknowledge that he had a consensual sexual relationship with the woman. 

In court documents, the woman claims that she became involved, both romantically and sexually, with Rose at a party he was hosting in Los Angeles in October of 2011. The woman, who is suing for $21.5 million in damages, says that she was attracted to Rose because he was "quiet, shy and reserved."

However, she says in the lawsuit that the former Chicago Bulls player's sexual demands made her uncomfortable.

The woman says the 2008 first round NBA draft pick reportedly asked her to have sex with him and one of his friends named Randall Hampton in 2013. 

Hampton along with the point guard's childhood friend, Ryan Allen, are also named in her lawsuit as defendant and was first filed in Los Angeles Superior Court before being transferred to federal court.

  

The trial was scheduled for October 4 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald. That is also the same day that the NBA preseason tips off.

  

The Knicks have yet to comment about the lawsuit against Rose. 

Knicks' Cleanthony Early shot, robbed outside of NYC strip club: Report

Knicks forward Cleanthony Early was reportedly shot and robbed by a gang after leaving a Queens, N.Y. strip club on Wednesday morning.

Anthony was hit with a bullet in the leg after being "surrounded by four to six people wearing ski masks and robbed of his items and jewelry," including a gold necklace and the gold caps on his teeth, according to a report from the NY Daily News.

Early was shot once in the knee blocks away from CityScapes gentlemen's club in Maspeth while he was in an Uber cab. Three cars reportedly pulled up and boxed in the taxi he was sitting in. It is being described it as "a hold up" by police. 

He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition. There was no further word on his condition as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. 

This early morning incident comes on the heels of Early's teammate, Derrick Williams, getting robbed of expensive jewelry by a couple of women he met in a Manhattan nightclub just weeks ago.

Early, a 24-year-old Middletown native, is in his second season with the Knicks. He was drafted in 2014 after attending Wichita State.

He has played in 10 games this season, averaging less than four minutes and 1 point per game.

Knicks' Derrick Williams robbed of $750G worth of bling by two women

It seems like a weekend doesn't go by without some poor wealthy schlub getting fleeced by some women they met partying in one of Manhattan's hotspots.

Now you can add New York Knicks forward Derrick Williams to that list of rubes after he was reportedly robbed of $750,000 in jewelry at his Tribeca apartment early Saturday.

And the NBA player is blaming two women he took home from a Meatpacking District club earlier in the evening, according to the New York Post.

Williams told police that the women knicked a Louis Vuitton jewelry case holding a small fortune of his bling.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Williams said after the Knicks’ game at Madison Square Garden Saturday night. “It’s still up in the air.”

Williams, who was chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the second overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, is known for posting pictures of his prized possessions on Instagram including this heavy gold chain with a large medallion bearing an image of the crucified head of Jesus Christ.

“All praise to the most high,” Williams wrote about the “Jesus piece.”

all praise to the most high.

A photo posted by Derrick Williams (@dwxxiii) on May 21, 2015 at 2:50pm PDT

The 24-year-old Williams had been celebrating Friday night’s 107-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers with a group of friends at the Up & Down club when he met the women.

Afterward, they headed back to Williams’ Broadway apartment — along with two women whom they had just met and who may have been using false names, the sources said.

After more partying at Williams’ bachelor pad, everyone went home.

But not before the two party girls found the Louis Vuitton case stuffed with three-quarters of a million dollars worth of jewelry in one of Williams’ closets.

The slick females grabbed the contents, and took off, the sources said.

Williams realized his booty was gone at about 4 p.m. Saturday and called the cops.

Toast to life. Special occasions became daily occurrences. And the work won't stop cause goals gotta get met. #GBE

A photo posted by Derrick Williams (@dwxxiii) on Dec 7, 2014 at 2:31pm PST

Police are probing whether the Williams’ theft is part of a pattern of robberies committed by young women who prey upon wealthy, bling-flashing men at clubs and hotel bars, the sources said.

In one case earlier this month, a $590,000 Swiss timepiece was robbed from a Beverly Hills watch dealer by two women he met at a Midtown strip club.

Dwight Howard takes Kristaps Porzingis to school with ridiculous alley-oop (VIDEO)

New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis has become the toast of the NBA and it seemed it was only a matter of time before the Zinger got burned.

Against the Houston Rockets on Sunday, the 7’3” Latvian met his match when fellow big man Dwight Howard manhandled the rook with this two-handed alley-oop over the Knicks sensation.

Howard's had enough of the NBA talking about this rookie https://t.co/LajV7QqzKv

— 401 (@RakwonOGOD) November 30, 2015

Even though K-Por, KP, K-Zing or whatever you want to call him, ended up on the wrong end of a Superman poster dunk, he still finished the game with 20 points and 13 rebounds in a 116-11 OT loss to the Rockets.

Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis holds own against 76ers' Jahlil Okafor (VIDEO)

And just like that, Kristaps Porzingis has suddenly turned the Knicks fans' boos in Brooklyn into woos out in Vegas.

The lanky Latvian and Jahlil Okafor — who was taken third, right in front of Porzingis in the NBA Draft — had their first head-to-head meeting and Porzingis ended up holding his own.

Okafor was smooth in the post and his strength bothered the 7-foot-3, 233-pound Porzingis, who called it "a little mismatch." But with the game on the line Tuesday, the Latvian big man came through and again heard chants of "Por-Zing-is" from some Knicks' fans in the Thomas & Mack Center.

Porzingis blocked  Okafor's shot three times. And although Okafor had the better overall game, finishing with 18 points compared to nine for Porzingis, it was Knicks rookie's blocked shot in OT late helped the Knicks to an 84-81 win over the 76ers.

"He loves to compete," Derek Fisher said. "That's why we're excited about the potential that he has. A lot of the young guys don't love the game and playing and competing and mixing it up the way he does. I don't think he really thinks about his frame as a disadvantage. He's willing to get down and dirty. I think he showed that.

"He stood right up to Okafor and played him. Statistically, Okafor won the game, but Kristaps' team won. That's the major stat that really tells you the difference between guys."

It's only summer league, but the Knicks are 3-0 and Porzingis continues to impress.

All together Knicks fans: Frederic who?

Knicks top draft pick brings young fan to tears (VIDEO)

Most New York Knicks fans in attendance at the Barclays Center on Thursday night were pretty vocal when their team picked 19-year-old Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 4 draft pick.

The pick triggered loud, long boos from their fans, but one young Knicks fan took it extremely hard.

Porzingis, a 7-foot-1 forward is widely considered the biggest gamble at his position of the 2015 NBA draft — although one with huge potential.

But man, do those memories of another foreign big man, Frederic Weis, still linger.



“Lot of fans weren’t happy they drafted me,” Porzingis said. “I have to do everything in my hands to turn those booing fans into clapping fans.”

Look at it this way kid, at least you still have plenty of years ahead of you to see it happen.

Greg Popovich takes selfie with fan, asks for $10 (PHOTO)

Gregg Popovich is usually pretty tightly wound leading up to a game, but the San Antonio Spurs coach is known to have a little fun too.

This was evident when a reddit user named skillzdan ran into Pop in New York City. The Spurs were playing the Knicks, but the team came into the city a day early. According to skillzdan, he ran into the coach and wine connoisseur outside of a bar and then asked for a selfie.

Surprisingly, Popovich agreed.

From skillzdan on reddit:

Ran into Pop on 45th street in Midtown Manhattan last night. He was headed into a bar with who I presume was his wife. I was subject to the shortest most Pop interview ever. "Hey Pop can I get a selfie?!" "Yes."

We followed him into the bar but he was in a semi-private area with a bunch of very decorated military men. On his way out a few of my friends snapped another pic with him and that was all she wrote. Tried coming up with some small talk to bullshit with him about but... It's Pop. No small talk with that guy. He jokingly asked for $10 after the selfie and then laughed his way out of my life.

Now if you mentioned that the 1999 Domaine de la Romance Conti La Tache is a full-bodied gem of a wine that goes well with chicken topped with Parmesan and prosciutto ... then your talking.

Walt Frazier calls female referee 'nice-looking' during Knicks broadcast (VIDEO)

Former New York Knicks legend and current MSG analyst, Walt Frazier, who has been known to turn a phrase, found himself in a little bit of hot water after saying two words about a female NBA referee during a broadcast.

The one-time man-about-Manhattan called Lauren Holtkamp, the female referee who worked Wednesday night's Knicks loss to the Indiana Pacers, "nice-looking."

And the comment has critics screaming louder than one of Clyde's colorful suits.

Pro Basketball Talk's Dan Feldman called for punishment and CBSSports.com's Ananth Pandian used the word "inappropriate" to describe his words. Even Frazier's on-air partner Mike Breen shook his head during the broadcast exchange. 

"No, no, no, no, no," said the play-by-play man after he heard the remark.

At the time Breen was discussing Holtcamp, the first-year official who was criticized in February by Chris Paul after she handed him and his Clippers several technical fouls. Paul later said of Holtkamp, “This might not be for her,” a comment that sounded sexist to many.

Paul claimed that he was referring to her inexperience but was stilled fined $25,000 for the comment.

On the other hand, Frazier’s on-air stumbling and bumbling didn't need any explanation.

Phil Jackson rips Knicks via Twitter after loss to Cavaliers

Phil Jackson apparently wasn't too happy with the Knicks' performance during a 101-83 blowout loss to the Cavaliers Sunday night. And afterwards, the Knicks president tweeted his feelings about the team he helped dismantle after the embarrassing defeat.

Late Sunday night, Jackson tweeted that the game gave the basketball gods " heartburn." He ended with the acronym "smh" — meaning "shake my head."

Today's game vs Cavs gave bb gods heartburn and those that know what "it" takes/means a smh.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 23, 2015

It's especially ironic since the superior Cleveland team they lost to featured a couple of players Jackson traded away in January and who were making their first return visit to Madison Square Garden.

Adding to the Zen master's agita was the sight of those two former Knicks, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, hooking up on a spectacular alley-oop dunk:

The Knicks fell behind by 19 points in the first quarter and trailed by as many as 30 in the Pepto-inducing beatdown.

Did Carmelo Anthony get police escort to Madison Square Garden (VIDEO)

Carmelo Anthony, who's finding it hard to receive any help from the big shots in the Knicks front office, finally got an assist from one organization — or didn’t he? 

On Friday night, the Knicks star cruised through New York City traffic-free after appearing to receive an escort from the NYPD, reported TMZ.

Anthony — who is facing surgery on his sore left knee — posted an Instagram video after 6 p.m. Friday that shows his car trailing a vehicle with blaring sirens and lights. Both cars drive against 34th Street traffic while avoiding the chaos of All-Star Weekend as Melo makes his way to Madison Square Garden.

"Ain't nothing like a police escort, boy, in all this traffic," Melo says during the 17-second clip.

Nothing like a police escort in all this traffic. 🙏🙏🙏

A video posted by @carmeloanthony on Feb 13, 2015 at 3:54pm PST

However, a New York Police Department spokesman had not heard that Anthony received an NYPD escort.

“As a policy, we do not give police escorts through traffic for celebrities,” the spokesman said.

'Fire John Idzik' creators start 'Knicks4Sale' site

The fed up Jets fans who brought you FireJohnIdzik.com have set their sights on a new scourge: Knicks owner James Dolan.

Four New Jersey residents, including Jason Koeppel and his brother Jared, have launched Knicks4Sale.com, which says, "Hey Dolan: Sell the Knicks ... buy the Nets!" on the top of the front page. It was inspired by the nasty email Dolan wrote in response to a letter from a longtime fan and calls for donations to put up a billboard right outside Madison Square Garden.

The campaign begins.... #DolanOut #savetheknicks
— knicks4sale (@knicks4sale) February 10, 2015

Jason told ESPNNewYork's Mike Mazzeo about the letter that made them create the site:

"It was the 'Idzik news conference moment.' That's what we called it — when we decided that management and ownership had gone too far and it was time for the fans to do something. This email that he had the nerve to send to one of his fans was the moment. We talked last night — the four of us — and just said, you know what, we've had enough and we've gotta do something."

Their goal is to raise $20,000 in the remaining 59 days left in the campaign. They've already raised over $200 as of Tuesday morning.

Can't wait to see the tiny banners droning around The Garden.

Derek Fisher's timeout speech is worthy of 'Hoosiers' cornfest (VIDEO)

The New York Knicks were on their way to a 120-96 loss to the Rockets Friday night and are already the worst team in the NBA. So is there really anything coach Derek Fisher can say to rally the troops during a timeout?

Seems Fisher turned into 'Hoosiers' Coach Dale during a break in the action against the Houston Rockets on national TV and came out sounding cornier than an Indiana harvest.

"Just relax," Fisher told his grownup charges. "It's basketball. All the rules of the game are the same. The basket's the same height. They put their shorts on the same way you put yours on. It don't matter who it is over there. Believe in who you are. You can play the game."

After 34 losses and only 5 wins, Fisher has probably run out of phrases to motivate his team but this awkward rallying cry was more CYO than NBA.



So where's Shooter when you need him?

Knicks fans wear paper bags on heads during game (VIDEO)

The Knicks are so bad right now some fans just don't want to be seen — even after shelling out big bucks for a seat.

These five die-hard fans sitting in the celebrity row of Madison Square Garden during the Knicks' blowout loss to the Houston Rockets Thursday night used one of the oldest means of protest at a sporting event — wearing paper bags over their heads. 

But even these bagheads didn't stay to see the home team lose their 14th straight.

Isn't that Spike Lee I see under there?

J.R. Smith posts farewell message to Knicks (PHOTO)

J.R. Smith was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, after four mostly tumultuous seasons with the franchise he calls his hometown team — the New York Knicks.

Smith, who was a standout high school player in New Jersey, loved playing for the team he fondly remembers growing up in Central Jersey — making this trade just a bit harder for him.

On Tuesday, Smith said farewell to the Knicks and his New York fans with an Instagram post:

I want to thank Mr. Dolan and the Knicks organization for giving me the opportunity to play for such a… http://t.co/y9xNUyeraI
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) January 6, 2015

"I want to thank Mr. Dolan and the Knicks organization for giving me the opportunity to play for such a storied franchise over the past few seasons. I want to thank my teammates for their support and guidance. Most importantly, I want thank the fans of New York who are some of the most passionate basketball fans in the world. Playing in my hometown has been incredibly special and I will be forever grateful for having had the chance to wear a Knicks uniform.

"Though I look forward to starting a new chapter in Cleveland to join some of the best talent in the game in the quest for an NBA Championship, this great experience in New York will always stay with me. 

"Thank you again, fans. Your support means the world."

Going from a floundering franchise to a playoff contender might help ease the pain.

Smith's first trip back to Madison Square Garden with Cavaliers will be on Feb. 22.

Madison Square Garden photo book features a nude Phil Jackson (PHOTO)

If any big event happened at Madison Square Garden over the past six decades, there is one man who can say he was there and has the pictures to prove it.

Photographer extraordinaire George Kalinsky —  the official lensman at the famed venue since 1966 — has created a special book, “Great New York Moments,” with his wife, June, to send to his friends.

Included in the book were images of such icons as Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Miles Davis.

But, according to Page Six of the N.Y. Post,  the one photo that is getting the biggest reaction these days is a nude shot of Knicks President Phil Jackson, in the team locker room back when he was a player.

Photo: George Kalinsky

Hey. It was the Swinging Seventies. Too bad the only thing exposed at MSG these days is how bad the Knicks team really is.

Carmelo Anthony to critics: I'm not 'a loser': Report

Despite leading the New York Knicks to the worst start start in the history of the franchise, Carmelo Anthony fired back at his critics who called him "a loser." 

The Knicks forward tried to take the pressure of his new $124 million contract and superstar status off himself by claiming the team's 5-23 start — on pace to post its worst record ever after going 37-45 last season and missing the playoffs — doesn't boil down to a loser's mentality.

“I didn’t think it would be like this,’’ Anthony told the Washington Post via the N.Y. Post. “I’m like, why? Time goes by so fast and one thing you realize, you can’t control winning. It’s out of your control. You can control what you do. You can control your work ethic and your mindset when it comes down to winning. Everything has to be synchronized from ownership all the way down to the staff. Everything has to be in sync.’’

Anthony is in his 12th NBA season, but has advanced past the first round of the playoffs twice. And since joining the Knicks in 2010, only once. 

Anthony, who missed Thursday’s game in Chicago and is debating whether to sit for a couple of weeks to rest his chronic left knee injury .

“At the end of the day, we all know what the goal is and that’s to win a championship,’’ Anthony said. “I know that I’m a winner. Even though you might lose some games here and there, I know I’m a winner. I’ve won already. I’ve won off the court and on the court. I’m living the American dream. That’s winning to me. Nobody can say anything about [me] being a loser.”

Anthony, who missed Thursday’s game in Chicago and is debating whether to sit for a couple of weeks to rest his chronic left knee injury, admitted he hears the negative talk.

“Everybody has an opinion,’’ Anthony said in the interview. “ Everybody knows it all. They think they know you. You kind of become what the back page says you are. That’s messed up. I think just going through it, and you’ve seen the worst of the worst. Being here at the bottom and you can easily see how people will dismiss you, step on you and forget about you. This is the belly of the beast. New York will eat you alive if you let it.”

The history of losing has bothered Anthony to the point of frustration. A near brawl with teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. and reports that Anthony would consider waiving his no-trade clause rather than nixing a trade if the Knicks struck a deal to an attractive destination have fueled reports of a departure.

Anthony responded by saying he would have a "weak mind" to want out amid "a wall of adversity."

Still, you have to wonder how much of it he can take.

Phil Jackson defends Tyson Chandler trade to Mavericks on Twitter

Phil Jackson's mellowness, which has been put through the ringer in recent weeks, got tested just a little more on Thursday when the Knicks president responded to three separate reply tweets to a link about a story suggesting that he “got hornswoggled in his first big move” in trading Tyson Chandler to Dallas in June.

“Negative, I'm okay with the Dallas deal. Tyson fits there and our 3 players, Jose (Calderon), Sam (Dalembert), and Shane (Larkin) are on the court,” the Zen Master tweeted at @sheridanhoops from his @PhilJackson11 account on Thursday afternoon. 

@sheridanhoops negative, I'm okay with the Dallas deal. Tyson fits there and our 3 players, Jose, Sam, and Shane are on the court.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) December 18, 2014

“Our season got off to a rocky start-injuries-Tyson could not have changed the outcome. Trades are judged in 4-5 year terms," he responded in a second Tweet.

@sheridanhoops our season got off to a rocky start-injuries-Tyson could not have changed the outcome. Trades are judged in 4-5 year terms.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) December 18, 2014

“Remember how Pop (San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich) et al complained about the Pau (Gasol) trade (to the Lakers)? How does that trade look now? Just relax...and be patient” Jackson added in a third and final tweet.

@sheridanhoops remember how Pop et al complained about the Pau trade? How does that trade look now? Just relax...and be patient.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) December 18, 2014

Later, that philosophy sounded like gibberish after the short-handed Knicks fell to the Bulls, 103-97,  for New York's third straight loss and 13 of 14.

Carmelo Anthony will consider waiving no-trade clause: Report

Just when you thought it couldn't get any darker for the Knicks — with that worst start in franchise history and all — Carmelo Anthony says he'd be willing to take his game out of New York.

Just five months after all the hoopla surrounding the All-Star's free-agency and finally signing a five-year, $124 million contract with the Knicks, the N.Y. Post is reporting that Anthony would be open to dropping his no-trade clause if team president Phil Jackson strikes a deal with a team the high-scoring forward would like to play for.

Part of Anthony’s deal included the rarely used no-trade provision.

Anthony claims he has no desire to be traded, but his willingness to consider giving up the no-trade clause shows how frustrated he has become with what looks like a long season for the Knicks.

"He thought things would be better than this, but he still wants to stick it out for now," a source told The Post. "He trusts Phil, but I think he’s afraid of Phil."

The Knicks have lost 10 straight games — two shy of a team-record — and at 4-20 have the most losses in the NBA.

Combine Melo's failure to adjust to coach Derek Fisher's triangle offense and Wednesday's on-court scuffle with teammate Tim Hardaway and you know things at Madison Square Garden are falling off the rails.

Anthony, who is currently nursing a sore knee, can be traded beginning Monday — the unofficial start of trade season when all free agents and draft picks signed over the summer can be moved.

Knicks fans might suggest a few choice words for Carmelo's branding expert to label his client — including quitter.

Where's LeBron? At a Knicks game of course (PHOTOS)

This might be the closest thing to the Knicks actually getting LeBron James a perch on their bench, but at least there was a real winner sitting in Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Looking more like Where's Waldo than King James, then Cavaliers star took in the Knicks 103-99 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last night at the Garden.

And he showed New York fans that while the Nets might have Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton attending a game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Monday, Manhattan's team can still draw some royalty of their own — NBA royalty.

http://t.co/UAuo8ElFGm #nba LeBron James says he wants ‘I can’t breathe’ shirt as protests spread to pro sports pic.twitter.com/0TJ4LAVv0w
— WordLink #NBA (@NBAbyWordLink) December 8, 2014

According to Carmelo Anthony, James took in the game on his off day as a way to show his “support” for their friendship.

Hopefully, that friendship is tighter than the Knicks defense. The home team lost after blowing a fourth-quarter lead.