Xavier McDaniel played the 1991-92 season with the Knicks before his bitter departure to the rival Celtics. McDaniel said he believes if the Knicks had re-signed him and not let him leave for Boston, the Knicks wouldn’t be carrying a 40-year championship drought.
“Patrick, myself and Charles Oakley as the front line, nobody could match up with us,’’ said McDaniel, in the spotlight now that Wichita State, his alma-mater, is in the Final Four. “We would have won a championship with us. Charles Smith [McDaniel’s successor], he’s 6-10. I’ve always said it. He’s got to dunk the ball and the Knicks dropped the ball.’’
There’s a lot of he-said-he-said regarding McDaniel’s departure. McDaniel said Wednesday the Knicks told him to exercise the opt-out clause to his contract in midseason, promising him a long-term deal in the offseason. McDaniel said immediately his minutes dropped, as if trying to suppress his market value.
That summer, McDaniel accepted a 3-year deal with Boston after which former Knicks president Dave Checketts said the Knicks were double-crossed by agent David Falk, that they had “a gentleman’s agreement’’ to re-sign him after certain cap maneuverings. Checketts called it “shocking to us,’’ adding “We got kicked today.’’
“Dave Checketts lied,’’ McDaniel said. “They made me the scapegoat. They knew about the offer and could’ve made a deal with us. They wanted to get other guys.’’