On NBA draft night in 1998, in a major shocker, the New York Knicks dealt Charles Oakley to the Toronto Raptors for Charles Oakley. The move to send a 34-year old, undersized power forward away for a 7-foot center with All-Star potential (just 24 months after he was selected No. 2 in the 1996 NBA draft) should have been met with wide acclaim from Knicks fans and NBA observers, but instead the move was initially widely panned.
In the years that followed, Charles Oakley just hasn’t been able to help himself when it comes to panning the team that dealt him, and for good reason – the Knicks made it to the Finals in its first season with Camby, but the franchise has won just three playoff series’ in the 17 years since.