with the drafting and development of horace grant, the bulls traded oakley to the new york knicks for 7'1" center bill cartwright. oakley eventually became a part of the core which the knicks built around, which also featured patrick ewing, john starks, and point guard mark jackson. during the knicks' 1994 season, which included a record 25 playoff games, oakley started every regular season and playoff game for a record 107 starts in a single season. during his tenure with the knicks, oakley was primarily known as a defensive specialist.