Actually, he's in Chicago, desperate to be waived. But the point is, the reeling Raptors could use a little "Oak speak" right about now.
Last spring, Oakley called Vince Carter out during Toronto's first-round series with New York, questioning his heart and his ability to lead the team. Carter's mom wasn't happy with Oakley dissing her son, but it worked. A fired-up No. 15 led the Raptors past the Knicks and within a missed jumper of the Eastern Conference finals.
But that was last year. This season, the Raptors are mired in an 11-game losing skid that started with Carter, Hakeem Olajuwon and Jerome Williams on the injured list but includes four games that were played after those guys were back. Unfortunately, Oakley's not there to get in Carter's face about it -- and Carter has yet to take on that role for the rest of the team.
Following the Raptors' most recent loss, a 96-84 drubbing at the hands of the Sixers on Sunday, forward Antonio Davis told the Toronto Sun that his team's body language has been terrible lately, sending a message of vulnerability to rival teams, who can smell blood. "We can't come out and show defeat before we're defeated."
That statement is a desperate cry for a team leader, which means Carter must stop trying to lead by quiet example and finally learn to speak up.
Bad blood Kobe Bryant says Reggie Miller has a history of causing trouble, and while he apologized to his teammates for missing two games, Kobe won't be extending any olive branches to Reggie. When asked about Miller's prepared statement that said the Lakers guard has "other issues he has to deal with," Kobe responded: "Reggie doesn't know me at all, and I never argue with fools, never; it's a waste of time."
Wiz kids Courtney Alexander finally performed up to expectations. In Sunday's overtime win against the Magic, Alexander's 32 points led six Wizards in double figures as Washington snapped its seven-game losing streak without the services of Michael Jordan or Richard Hamilton. While Hamilton missed that game after playing Friday night with a stomach virus, he's expected back in the lineup for the Wizards' rematch with the Bulls on Tuesday.
Official proceedings
Following his first court appearance in association with second-degree manslaughter charges, Jayson Williams offered his "heartfelt condolences" to the family of the limo driver he's accused of killing. Williams declined comment on the case.
SWISH: Portland Trail Blazers
Mo Cheeks' Blazers have won nine games in a row, including six consecutive road contests, and they're now 22-6 in their past 28. On the strength of this streak, Portland is in third place in the Pacific Division and currently holds the sixth playoff spot in the West.
BRICK: Kenyon Martin
Martin lowered his shoulder as he tried to run through a pick set by Chicago rookie center Eddy Curry in the third quarter of New Jersey's 92-84 victory over Chicago on Sunday and was called for his sixth flagrant foul of the season. That automatically earned Martin a one-game suspension, meaning the Nets will be without their second-leading scorer against the Lakers on Tuesday.
SWISH: Shaquille O'Neal In the Lakers' 95-79 victory over the Rockets on Sunday, Shaq scored 36 points to surpass the 18,000-point mark in his career (18,020 points). In a related note, the Spurs' David Robinson only needs 12 points to become the 27th player in league history to score 20,000 points.
BRICK: Chris Webber
The Kings lost their third home game of the season Sunday when the Pacers overcame Reggie Miller's absence to pull off the 97-86 upset -- and C-Webb's 2-of-16 shooting had a lot to do with that. Webber, who had 51 points and 26 rebounds in Indiana's trip to Sacramento last season, was held to 13 points and eight rebounds this time around.
SWISH: Chucky Brown
By signing a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings, his 12th team, the journeyman forward set an NBA record and tied Mike Morgan for appearances with the most teams in any major professional sport.
BRICK: Mengke Bateer The first matchup of Chinese players in NBA history took place Sunday, when Dallas' Wang Zhizhi and Denver's Mengke Bateer played together briefly in the third quarter of their teams' game. Wang had five points and two rebounds in nine minutes, while Bateer was scoreless with one board in two minutes. Chinese National TV was scheduled to carry the game, and an expected 300 million to 400 million viewers were expected to tune in.
Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets, Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. ET Hakeem Olajuwon will play in Houston for the first time since a sign-and-trade deal sent him to Toronto in the offseason. "I played so long there. It used to be home, and now it is the road," said Olajuwon, who still lives in Houston. "The crowd that usually cheers for you will cheer against you. I think it will be fun, but it would be nice if we win."
Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics, Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET These two Eastern contenders will be playing a little one-upmanship this week, as they split their first two games this season, with each team winning at home. Boston won 104-90 on Jan. 11, despite Antoine Walker being held to a season-low five points, and Detroit won 94-91 eight nights later on the strength of Jerry Stackhouse's 28 points.
Wizards head coach Doug Collins expects to see Jordan back in uniform this season. "I think he really wants to finish this season and then he'll make an evaluation for next year," Collins said before the Wizards' game in Chicago on Friday. "I don't think he wants to go out on the injured list. I don't think he wants to go out on knee surgery."
This week's Off the Glass takes a look at the Wizards who greeted the news of Jordan's surgery as if their ice cream cones had just fallen onto a New York subway platform. Of course, OTG also checks in on who smiled as if the coveted scoops they'd been denied had just been handed to them.
If the responses to last week's question -- "Who will make it back to the postseason first, the Bulls or the Knicks?" -- are any indication, New York fans have a long dry spell ahead. Here's a sampling of the responses:
The Knicks are finished. With Rose and Best, the Bulls are on their way to respectability. Too bad they don't have Brand in that mix.
-- Sean O., Los Angeles
Bulls GM Jerry Krause gets a lot of blame, but the Knicks' draft decisions have reached a new level of ineptitude. -- Bob McBob, Minneapolis
The Bulls took a step in the right direction with Rose and Best. The Knicks need a walker to take their steps. -- Geoff Tebbetts, Matsuyama, Japan
The Bulls. The Knicks will be digging themselves out of salary-cap hell for a few more years. -- Charles Schrager, Mount Vernon, N.Y.
The Bulls. Camby is rapidly approaching a permanent vacation. Houston plays like he's already on one. And the Garden State looks more inviting for Spree. -- Jason Carver, Alexandria, Va.
The Bulls have the head start, already rebuilding. But we're talking about Krause and Reinsdorf here -- they'll mess it up. I say Knicks. -- Brandon Lidgard, Sheridan, Ore.
This week's topic: Through the years, who was the NBA's best example of a team leader?
Jennifer Cooper covers the NBA for CNNSI.com. "Week at a Glance" appears each Monday during the season.
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Wizards head coach Doug Collins expects to see Jordan back in uniform this season. "I think he really wants to finish this season and then he'll make an evaluation for next year," Collins said before the Wizards' game in Chicago on Friday. "I don't think he wants to go out on the injured list. I don't think he wants to go out on knee surgery."
