Charles Oakley hasn't played in the NBA in more than a decade. His last stint in the league came in 2004 with the Rockets after he spent time with the Bulls, Knicks, Raptors, and Wizards earlier on in his career. So he's far enough removed from the game now to offer up an honest opinion on what he thinks about the NBA today. And last night, while being honored in Toronto, he gave an evaluation of the league and said that it's definitely not what it used to be.
"Who do I like watching?" he said, when asked about the current state of the NBA. "It's hard to watch. I don't know, it's just, it's a different game. It's some good games and a lot of bad games. More bad games than good games these days."
And Oakley said he believes that has more to do with the players who are in the league than the game of basketball itself.
"I don't know what it is," he said. "They just roll [players] out there like a basketball. That's why…you see the same teams in the Finals or winning 55 games. Strong teams, strong-minded coach. Just the players...they don't know how to play together. So that's one of the things I see the weakness is: Communication, the guys don't love the game. They play the game, but they don't play with their heart."
Oakley makes some good points. We've talked about how the NBA was better back in the 1990s, too. What do you think about what he said?
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[via ESPN]
