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by Chris Maynard
([email protected])
The second round series between the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks in the 1996 NBA Playoffs is a great time to discuss not only the renewed rivalry but an important trade between the two organizations that would be felt years later.
On June 27, 1988 the Bulls traded popular power forward Charles Oakley to the Knicks for oft-injured center Bill Cartwright. As part of the deal, Chicago also sent its first-round pick, #19 overall, to New York in exchange for the Knicks' first-round pick, #11 overall. The Bulls also received a third-round pick that proved inconsequential.
With the 11th pick the following night in the 1988 NBA Draft, Chicago picked center Will Perdue out of Vanderbilt. The Knicks selected Bronx basketball legend Rod Strickland out of DePaul with the 19th pick.
While I was only seven years old at the time, I have read enough to know that this trade was not well-received by Bulls' fans and players. I remember reading in Sam Smith's amazing The Jordan Rules that Jordan was quite upset about the trade, which he heard about while watching Mike Tyson fight Michael Spinks in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Serving as Michael Jordan's enforcer on the court, Oakley was a rugged rebounder who actually led the NBA in total rebounds during the 1987-88 season. While only entering his third season at the time, Oakley was a "grizzled" veteran who bullied but looked out for Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant during their rookie seasons.
On and off the court, Oakley was Jordan's best friend and bodyguard, coming to his aid when MJ was thrown to the ground by Bill Laimbeer and other cheap shot artists on the Detroit Pistons. According to my Uncle Dennis, who was in his late teens at the time Jordan and Oakley were on the Bulls together from 1985-1988, MJ and the Oak Tree would play billiards at a pool hall in my neighborhood before driving to games at the old Chicago Stadium. Whether fact or fiction, the story certainly caught my attention many years later.
From what I remember of Oakley on the Bulls, he was always ready to mix it up, not the most refined offensive player at the time but someone who gave an honest, hard effort every night, something that goes over quite well in Chicago. One of my earliest memories of the Bulls as a kid was when Oakley grabbed 30 rebounds in a game. That seemed like a lot of rebounds to young me, meaning Oakley had to be an awesome player. I knew for sure he was never afraid to fight, often getting into altercations with a young Charles Barkley on the Philadelphia 76ers.
([email protected])
The second round series between the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks in the 1996 NBA Playoffs is a great time to discuss not only the renewed rivalry but an important trade between the two organizations that would be felt years later.
On June 27, 1988 the Bulls traded popular power forward Charles Oakley to the Knicks for oft-injured center Bill Cartwright. As part of the deal, Chicago also sent its first-round pick, #19 overall, to New York in exchange for the Knicks' first-round pick, #11 overall. The Bulls also received a third-round pick that proved inconsequential.
With the 11th pick the following night in the 1988 NBA Draft, Chicago picked center Will Perdue out of Vanderbilt. The Knicks selected Bronx basketball legend Rod Strickland out of DePaul with the 19th pick.
While I was only seven years old at the time, I have read enough to know that this trade was not well-received by Bulls' fans and players. I remember reading in Sam Smith's amazing The Jordan Rules that Jordan was quite upset about the trade, which he heard about while watching Mike Tyson fight Michael Spinks in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Serving as Michael Jordan's enforcer on the court, Oakley was a rugged rebounder who actually led the NBA in total rebounds during the 1987-88 season. While only entering his third season at the time, Oakley was a "grizzled" veteran who bullied but looked out for Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant during their rookie seasons.
On and off the court, Oakley was Jordan's best friend and bodyguard, coming to his aid when MJ was thrown to the ground by Bill Laimbeer and other cheap shot artists on the Detroit Pistons. According to my Uncle Dennis, who was in his late teens at the time Jordan and Oakley were on the Bulls together from 1985-1988, MJ and the Oak Tree would play billiards at a pool hall in my neighborhood before driving to games at the old Chicago Stadium. Whether fact or fiction, the story certainly caught my attention many years later.
From what I remember of Oakley on the Bulls, he was always ready to mix it up, not the most refined offensive player at the time but someone who gave an honest, hard effort every night, something that goes over quite well in Chicago. One of my earliest memories of the Bulls as a kid was when Oakley grabbed 30 rebounds in a game. That seemed like a lot of rebounds to young me, meaning Oakley had to be an awesome player. I knew for sure he was never afraid to fight, often getting into altercations with a young Charles Barkley on the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Ultimately, Oakley seemed to be a major part of a rising Bulls' team that had upset the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 1988 NBA Playoffs before losing to the Detroit Pistons in five games during the second round. However, Bulls General Manger Jerry Krause saw things differently, knowing the team had a gaping hole at center.
Never afraid to due something unpopular as he was unpopular, Krause decided to trade Oakley for a center whose best days seemed behind him.
Make the jump to read how the unpopular trade of Oakley for Cartwright proved to be a shrewd move by Krause.
Never afraid to due something unpopular as he was unpopular, Krause decided to trade Oakley for a center whose best days seemed behind him.
Make the jump to read how the unpopular trade of Oakley for Cartwright proved to be a shrewd move by Krause.
At the time Chicago was starting the uninspiring Dave Corzine, also out of DePaul. With his brownish/grayish beard, Corzine reminded young me of a doctor whom my Mom used to work for as a nurse. That man, Dr. Joseph, gave me the creeps so Corzine did as well as a result of having a similar appearance.
With Grant entering his second year, Oakley was expendable, an opportunity to add two centers. At 31 years of age, with a history of knee injuries, Cartwright seemed to be an odd addition at the time for a 24-year-old Oakley. Even though he was the #3 overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, Cartwright's career had been mostly disappointing. New York had tried to start Cartwright with Patrick Ewing, the Georgetown center and #1 overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, as part of an Eastern Conference Twin Towers pairing, but that did not bear much success.
With Cartwright gone, Ewing could now operate more freely down low while Oakley did a lot of dirty work and spaced the floor with his ability to hit the jump shot.
At first glance, the Knicks had won the trade with the Bulls. During Oakley's first season, the Knicks earned the two-seed in the Eastern Conference, sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs. Chicago had struggled a bit during the 1988-89 season, entering the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, New York would face the Bulls in the second round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs, fresh off Jordan's famous shot against the Cleveland Cavs.
Love or hate him, Krause did have a good eye for seeing how Cartwright could help the Bulls, which became apparent during the 4-2 series' victory against the Knicks. Knowing Ewing's game quite well, Cartwright always made things tough on his protege, providing elbows to the back and hard defense on the Georgetown product while keeping Ewing honest with his ability to hit a jumper.
For Jordan, it would take him a few seasons to appreciate Cartwright. Their relationship was prickly, at first, with Jordan once telling his teammates not to pass to Cartwright late in games. However, Cartwright didn't back down from Jordan, telling the superstar that he would break his legs after hearing about Jordan's attempt to freeze him out. Jordan would begrudgingly accept Cartwright, admitting years later that the trade was the right move at the right time for the Bulls. Ironically, Jordan would also not be too kind to Perdue, the center acquired with the draft pick from the Oakley trade. Jordan would famously tell Perdue that he didn't deserve to have the last name of a Big Ten team, referring to the Purdue Boilermakers, of course.
Ultimately, Cartwright was at his best during Chicago's many playoff series against the Knicks. He was the one player on the Bulls who could make Ewing really have to work for his offense during the team's playoff matchups in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994.
By the time Chicago was ready to win its first title during the 1991 NBA Playoffs, it was clear that Chicago had won the Oakley-Cartwright trade. At no point during Chicago's first three championship runs did Oakley seem like a better player than Grant, who was much more mobile and longer, thus giving Chicago a real defensive wildcard with the Bulls' trapping and pressing defense.
As Chicago kept defeating New York in the playoffs, I always respected Oakley but kind of viewed him like Doug Collins to Phil Jackson. In other words, Collins was the coach before the legendary Jackson just like Oakley was the power forward before Grant, solid but not great.
Eventually, Oakley and the Knicks would beat Cartwright and the Bulls, without a retired Jordan, during the second round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks would advance to the 1994 NBA Finals, losing in seven games to the Houston Rockets.
By 1996, a championship had yet to materialize for Oakley and the Knicks. Meanwhile, the Bulls were gunning for its fourth title of the decade after winning three straight with Cartwright at center from 1991 to 1993.
With Cartwright retired by the time of this second-round series between New York and Chicago in 1996, Oakley was thought more as a hated member of New York than a beloved former Bull.
While happening eight years earlier, the Oakley-Cartwright trade seemed like another time in Bulls' history, before Jordan was a global icon and the Bulls were a world phenomenon.
In Chicago, Oakley was a fighter for a team trying to fight its way to relevancy.
As a Knick in 1996, he was just a guy looking to take the fight to the Bulls, another player in the way of Chicago fulfilling its destiny as an all-time NBA champion.
With Grant entering his second year, Oakley was expendable, an opportunity to add two centers. At 31 years of age, with a history of knee injuries, Cartwright seemed to be an odd addition at the time for a 24-year-old Oakley. Even though he was the #3 overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, Cartwright's career had been mostly disappointing. New York had tried to start Cartwright with Patrick Ewing, the Georgetown center and #1 overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, as part of an Eastern Conference Twin Towers pairing, but that did not bear much success.
With Cartwright gone, Ewing could now operate more freely down low while Oakley did a lot of dirty work and spaced the floor with his ability to hit the jump shot.
At first glance, the Knicks had won the trade with the Bulls. During Oakley's first season, the Knicks earned the two-seed in the Eastern Conference, sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs. Chicago had struggled a bit during the 1988-89 season, entering the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, New York would face the Bulls in the second round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs, fresh off Jordan's famous shot against the Cleveland Cavs.
Love or hate him, Krause did have a good eye for seeing how Cartwright could help the Bulls, which became apparent during the 4-2 series' victory against the Knicks. Knowing Ewing's game quite well, Cartwright always made things tough on his protege, providing elbows to the back and hard defense on the Georgetown product while keeping Ewing honest with his ability to hit a jumper.
For Jordan, it would take him a few seasons to appreciate Cartwright. Their relationship was prickly, at first, with Jordan once telling his teammates not to pass to Cartwright late in games. However, Cartwright didn't back down from Jordan, telling the superstar that he would break his legs after hearing about Jordan's attempt to freeze him out. Jordan would begrudgingly accept Cartwright, admitting years later that the trade was the right move at the right time for the Bulls. Ironically, Jordan would also not be too kind to Perdue, the center acquired with the draft pick from the Oakley trade. Jordan would famously tell Perdue that he didn't deserve to have the last name of a Big Ten team, referring to the Purdue Boilermakers, of course.
Ultimately, Cartwright was at his best during Chicago's many playoff series against the Knicks. He was the one player on the Bulls who could make Ewing really have to work for his offense during the team's playoff matchups in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994.
By the time Chicago was ready to win its first title during the 1991 NBA Playoffs, it was clear that Chicago had won the Oakley-Cartwright trade. At no point during Chicago's first three championship runs did Oakley seem like a better player than Grant, who was much more mobile and longer, thus giving Chicago a real defensive wildcard with the Bulls' trapping and pressing defense.
As Chicago kept defeating New York in the playoffs, I always respected Oakley but kind of viewed him like Doug Collins to Phil Jackson. In other words, Collins was the coach before the legendary Jackson just like Oakley was the power forward before Grant, solid but not great.
Eventually, Oakley and the Knicks would beat Cartwright and the Bulls, without a retired Jordan, during the second round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks would advance to the 1994 NBA Finals, losing in seven games to the Houston Rockets.
By 1996, a championship had yet to materialize for Oakley and the Knicks. Meanwhile, the Bulls were gunning for its fourth title of the decade after winning three straight with Cartwright at center from 1991 to 1993.
With Cartwright retired by the time of this second-round series between New York and Chicago in 1996, Oakley was thought more as a hated member of New York than a beloved former Bull.
While happening eight years earlier, the Oakley-Cartwright trade seemed like another time in Bulls' history, before Jordan was a global icon and the Bulls were a world phenomenon.
In Chicago, Oakley was a fighter for a team trying to fight its way to relevancy.
As a Knick in 1996, he was just a guy looking to take the fight to the Bulls, another player in the way of Chicago fulfilling its destiny as an all-time NBA champion.
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