Former Chicago Bulls great Charles Oakley is as old-school as it gets. He doesn't mince words, and he certainly isn't a fan of how coaching has had to change in recent times. As a matter of fact, the rugged forward who played for nearly two decades in the NBA shared his thoughts on what coaching is like these days.
"It's more almost like a daycare. You got to babysit these guys to get them to do something they getting paid to do," Oakley said during his appearance on Kevin Garnett's show, "KG Certified."
Made from a different mold
Selected ninth overall in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Oakley soon found himself on the Chicago Bulls where he struck a friendship with the team's up-and-coming star back then—Michael Jordan. He quickly established himself as the team's enforcer, willing to mix it up with anyone who dared to go after Jordan.
He soon earned the nickname "Oak Tree" for his no-nonsense approach, which carried over to his coaching career, first as an assistant on the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010 and then in the BIG3, where he coaches the Killer 3s.
Oakley shared that he understands what his role was as an assistant coach, which was to work with the young fellas and teach them the tricks of the trade. However, Oakley stated that a lot of players weren't willing to put in the time or the extra work to be excellent at their craft.
"You're an assistant coach. They want to keep you there for eight to 10 hours but for what? These guys don't want to work out," Oakley added.
Different times in basketball
Oakley understands that basketball is different now. Between social media, AAU basketball, and the internet, the game has changed. He stated that the current generation's players are not willing to put in the same effort that he and his peers did during their time to be successful.
"My job here is to do this with you and hope you get better but they don't want to get better. I ain't never seen so many guys that never want to get better," Oak concluded.
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