The Corner of Controversy and Criticism: Charles Oakley, Kevin Durant and UFC 208
This week was undoubtedly a crazy week in the world of sports especially in the NBA. This past Wednesday Charles Oakley was in attendance at Madison Square Garden for a Knicks game. Oakley is a legend in New York, giving ten years of his career on the Knicks team. He was sitting a few rows from court-side where reportedly being a little loud. Not even four minutes into the game he was asked by security to leave and that they were under orders to remove him from the building. Oakley did not leave quietly as he proceeded to shove security guards which led to his arrest. The Knicks have been in utter chaos the entire season. They have big contracts that no one wants and they have a President who constantly slams their franchise player. I thought the problems between Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony were the worse thing that could go on with the Knicks until Oakley showed up. The way that James Dolan and the Knicks P.R. department handled the situation was absolutely pathetic. They are making assumptions that Oakley has an alcohol problem when there has been absolutely no proof of such a claim. Then we fast forward to the weekend when James Dolan had Latrell Sprewell sit by him court-side in the Knicks game against the Spurs. In my opinion this move was made to save face since there is so much heat on him. As far as I am concerned Sprewell is a coward for playing into Dolan’s horrible mistakes. I really wish the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver would step in and take some action against the Knicks before things get even more out of control.
Another highly covered situation that took place this past week was Kevin Durant’s return to Oklahoma as a member of the Golden State Warriors. He left the Thunder this past season after spending eight years with the team and having a great teammate with Russell Westbrook. The Thunder already traveled to Oakland twice and lost both games. Durant has had great performances all three times he’s played his former team but then again he has three other superstars to back him up. The reception that Durant got from his former home crowd was less then loving and warm. I couldn’t have expected any less. It’s no different from when Lebron left Cleveland for Miami. What did Durant think was going to happen? More importantly what is Durant’s mom thinking? I have no doubt that Wanda Durant is a really good person but for her to come out and say it’s not right the way Thunder fans treated him this weekend when he made his return is absolutely absurd. Your son makes millions and millions of dollars playing a sport that he excel’s at. He is set for life and probably has made sure you and other family members will never have to worry about anything financially. I am sure being his mom you never want to hear son be called names or treated poorly but he turned his back on a team and city that was very good to him. He had it made in OKC and he turned his back on all of that just so he could join the team he couldn’t beat. The reason I will never fully respect Durant and LeBron James is because they had to leave their respective teams to get help from other superstars to win. If they are as great as everyone thinks how come they can’t make those around them better? They should have been able to win with whoever they had around them. In his entire career Michael Jordan never asked to be traded, never demanded that the Bulls sign someone and he made everyone around him better. Years from now are people going to be able to say the same thing about Lebron James and Kevin Durant?
The angriest person this week wasn’t even Charles Oakley or the Thunder fans. Dana White was less then thrilled about how UFC 208 went down on Saturday Night. It was suppose to be a historic night at the UFC crowned the first ever UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion. The fight was between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie. There was some controversy in this fight due to the fact Randamie struck Holm after the bell in multiple rounds. Each time looked pretty intentional and may effected how Holm approached the rest of the fight. Holm wants an immediate rematch and I think Dana should give it to her. Dana was not happy about the decision of Anderson Silva and Derek Brunson. It was a good fight but Brunson was clearly the aggressor and had more significant moments in the fight. This is why you can’t leave the fight in the hands of the judges. You never know what they are going to decide. I really wish there was a different way to determine a clear cut winner in these fights because so many times the judges get it wrong. I feel like ever since UFC changed ownership in July things have not been as good as they were when the Fertitta Brothers owned it. I also feel like this was a very lackluster card which I hope is not a sign for the future. Hopefully the company can rebound with UFC 209 which looks like a really great fight card that will not having any controversies like UFC 208 did.
What a crazy week with lots of emotion that consisted of anger and disappointment. There is a lot to look forward to this week like the return of NASCAR with The Clash at Daytona. The sports world will also be watching to see if the UConn Women’s Basketball can win their 100th straight game. It will be a history making week with NASCAR’s new rules and format. It will be a celebration if UConn can win 100 straight. Until next week remember Controversy Doesn’t Come Without Criticism!
