Charles Oakley, James Dolan Meet with Adam Silver Regarding MSG Arrest

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Monday he met with Charles Oakley and New York Knicks owner James Dolan following Oakley's arrest at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Silver also allowed Michael Jordan to teleconference into the meeting.

The NBA shared a statement from the commissioner:

On Tuesday, Mike Wise of The Undefeated received a text message from "someone very close" to Oakley who said the ban from Madison Square Garden has been lifted. Later Tuesday, Oakley told Dan Le Batard of ESPN (h/t Ian O'Connor of ESPN) that he isn't ready to accept an invite from Dolan.

ESPN.com's J.A. Adande thought the fact Silver had to intervene showed how the Knicks have mishandled the situation:

The saga began when arena security removed Oakley from the arena after he engaged in a shoving match with security officers in the first quarter of Wednesday's game:

In a pair of official statements, the Knicks blamed Oakley for the incident, saying he "behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner," an account the team said was corroborated by Madison Square Garden staff and New York police officers.

Oakley offered his take in an interview with the New York Daily News' Frank Isola.

"I was there for four minutes," he said. "I didn't say anything to [Dolan]. I swear on my mother. They came over and wanted to know why I was sitting there. I bought the ticket. I said why do you guys keep staring at me. Then they asked me to leave. And I said I'm not leaving."

USA Today's Steve Popper reported police charged Oakley with three counts of assault.

In an interview on The Michael Kay Show on Friday (h/t For The Win's Adi Joseph), Dolan speculated Oakley might have an alcohol problem, which would've then played a role in his behavior in the arena. Oakley denied the claim to the New York Post's Marc Berman.

Dolan invited Latrell Sprewell to sit with him during Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, which Bleacher Report's Howard Beck argued was a public relations maneuver:

Oakley played 10 seasons with the Knicks from 1988-98 and helped the team reach the 1994 NBA Finals.

While the 53-year-old is one of the more beloved members of those successful 90s Knicks teams, the New York Times' Scott Cacciola wrote last November he has had a thorny relationship with the team.

In addition to critical comments in the past about Dolan and the Knicks front office, Oakley helped sour LeBron James on the idea of signing with the team in 2010, which further eroded his standing with the Knicks.