Charles Oakley Is Convinced He Can Still Play - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Charles Oakley is making a comeback. Forget the fact that he's 43 years old and hasn't played in a game since 2004. Forget that the most action he's seen in the last three years is serving as Michael Jordan's wing man at the club. He thinks that he's still tougher than 95% of the players out there, and he wants to make one last-ditch effort to prove it. Via TrueHoop's bullets comes this report from the New York Daily News:

He specifically mentioned the Knicks, Nets, Cavs and Mavs. "Look at how bad Cleveland was in the NBA Finals," said Oakley, proving his tongue is still as sharp as his elbows. "They had big guys who couldn't move and can't shoot. They never knocked Tony Parker on his butt.

"I'm not saying I'm better than guys who play every day. But I can play 20 minutes a night. I understand the game. I can shoot, make free throws and defend. A lot of teams don't have a general on the floor. I'm not trying to steal from anybody. Give me a tryout and if you don't think I can do it, then just cut me."

Is he driven by the love of the game, or is he simply hoping for one last NBA payday? Honestly, I could care less. If I was an NBA GM, the only question I'd want to know is, can he still play? Unlike his pal MJ, his game was never built upon extraordinary athleticism -- he's a physical banger, and as long as he can still get up and down the court at a reasonable pace, I don't doubt that he can still do his thing in the paint.

That said, he hasn't averaged 20 minutes a game since 2002 -- he combined for just 49 games and 11 minutes a night his last two years in the league. If he was fading then, I'd be worried about him now. But like he said, what harm could a tryout do? If nothing else, he'd help set a business-like tone at training camp.