One of the major yet overshadowed issues from the James Dolan-Charles Oakley dispute that resulted in Oakley being thrown out of Madison Square Garden is the rather tenuous relationships between former players and owners.

Oakley has said he wanted to make amends with Dolan, the owner of the New York Knicks, following the Feb. 8 incident during which he was thrown out by several security guards moments after sitting a few rows behind Dolan for a game against the Clippers. Oakley was later banned from the arena.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver organized a conference call with Oakley, Dolan, and Hornets owner Michael Jordan, a close friend of Oakley’s, to try to mediate. The ban was lifted but Oakley said he has no plans to attend a Knicks game.

Meanwhile, to avoid the bad public relations, Dolan summoned exiled former Knick Latrell Sprewell to sit next to him courtside for last Sunday’s game against the Spurs. Sprewell had reportedly not spoken to Dolan in 13 years.

Unfortunately for some ex-players, they have to take advantage of any situation to foster good relationships with owners for the purpose of gaining NBA employment. It’s a difficult position for former players, many of whom were standouts, to have to essentially swallow their pride.

For the generation of NBA players who played in the 1980s, and sometimes even the ’90s prior to the explosion of salaries, financial hard times and dimming employment prospects are a harsh reality.

Team owners have the power to employ former players in TV and radio, or in community relations roles, helping some of them back into NBA circles and a steady income. The National Basketball Players Association has been stressing to current players the importance of managing their money for post-career life.

It also has implemented job-training programs for former players.

“Equally as important [as labor] as far as the NBPA is to make sure that our players, when they leave this game do so in a way that doesn’t result in the end of their productive lives,’’ NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said. “Our player programs are critical to helping our players make that transition. We are in the middle of preparing a transition program for our players. Unlike some of the other [players associations], we don’t have anything that we can extend to our players once they move from playing basketball to life without basketball. That’s a gap in our space that we need to fill.’’

NBPA president Chris Paul said financial issues for current and retired players were a major discussion point with owners during the recent negotiations.

“That’s not something that we just want to get better with, the owners gave us their feedback and they want to see things get better on that end,’’ Paul said. “One of the biggest things we’re still going to have conversations on is financial literacy.

“I know for me, coming into the NBA at 19, 20 years old, out of high school, a couple of years in college, no one in my family had ever experienced this type of money before. My mother worked for Wachovia Bank for 27 years. But that’s still a different type of income coming in.

“I was fortunate to have an amazing team around me who allowed me to learn, but that’s a lot to throw on young kids in the NBA. We all have to do a better job of helping guys understand financial literacy and what that means. And the value of a dollar.’’

Asked about the Oakley incident, Roberts said she was saddened.

“I have been a fan of the Knicks since I couldn’t spell,’’ she said. “And I welled up when I saw what happened to Oak, so of course I was affected by that. If there was a hand extended for help, I’m happy to see there’s something I can do to help. I’m more praying than I am actually being pragmatic in offering help. I don’t know a single person who watched that and didn’t find themselves affected.’’

Said Paul: “I know Oak personally and that was real tough to watch. To hear them say they hope Oak gets some help because he was mentally ill, that was tough. Since I’ve come into the NBA, Oak has been a guy who has always checked on me. To see him treated in that fashion in that arena was tough.’’

WHOLE NEW WORLD

VanVleet adjusts to the pro game

For Fred VanVleet, the NBA game is different and the challenges are tremendous. But the potential rewards are well worth the sacrifice.

The Wichita State guard helped elevate the Missouri Valley Conference school into college basketball consciousness when he teamed with Ron Baker to lead the Shockers to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments and a No. 1 seed in 2014.

VanVleet was an accomplished guard on those teams, a seasoned player perhaps ready to help an NBA team immediately. Yet college seniors are frowned upon by NBA teams because their flaws stand out just as much as their strengths.

And despite such an accomplished career, VanVleet went undrafted, turning down offers from clubs that wanted to stick him in the NBADL. Instead, he signed with the Toronto Raptors and made the roster as a third point guard. VanVleet has had his moments, such as a 15-point game earlier this month at Orlando. But playing behind Kyle Lowry and Cory Joseph has been a learning experience, as VanVleet attempts to master a new game. And he keeps in constant contact with Baker, who made the Knicks roster, also as an undrafted player.

“It’s been a dream come true,’’ VanVleet said. “We both had the same goal in mind and maybe the path was a little different than we anticipated, but we got to the point to where we wanted to be and now it’s a matter of we’ve got one foot in the door and it’s time to bust through there and never look back. It’s been an amazing ride. We communicate on a daily basis.’’

VanVleet said he believed he would improve his draft status through workouts. He worked out for a stunning 18 teams, zig-zagging the country for sessions against his contemporaries.

“I’m glad I went through it, but I wouldn’t wish that on nobody,’’ he said. “The traveling, the working out, and the hotel to hotel every night. At the end of the day, those workouts aren’t really going to make or break you in terms of the draft process. But I guess it helped to a certain extent.

“I’m glad I worked out for the Raptors. It went a long way in terms of their thought process.’’

Despite realizing he may not be drafted, VanVleet still threw a draft party as a means of acknowledging his college achievements, and even getting to the point in which he was on the NBA’s radar.

“My thing was telling my family and friends it’s more about the celebration of my four years of college,’’ he said. “It meant something to me more than hearing my name called.’’

VanVleet and Baker are examples of seasoned players who get unfairly scrutinized because of their age, while teams take chances on unaccomplished one-and-dones who may be years from contributing.

“It’s real frustrating because it’s like what are we looking for — and what are we rewarding?’’ VanVleet said. “Outside of top 10 in the lottery, what is the draft really about? You’ve got to understand every team approaches their selection different and in what they’re looking for. Luckily I found a team whose thought process was similar to mine and they saw good qualities in me and made an investment in me and it can pay off.’’

The one thing that stands out about the NBA for VanVleet is that it’s nothing like college basketball. Point guards run the college game. Point guards manage the NBA game.

“It’s a different sport, literally,’’ he said. “It’s not the same game. The rules are different. The guys are so much bigger. The refs are different. I try to tell everybody I can that it’s not the same sport. The only things that are the same are the ball and the hoop. It’s been an adjustment but I love the NBA game and it allows guys like me to be creative.’’

ETC.

Pierce stands tall in Rivers’s view

Doc Rivers, who has coached Paul Pierce for 11 of his 19 NBA seasons, offered his thoughts on Pierce’s impact on the game and how effective he would be if he were a young player with his skill set in today’s game.

“If Paul was young now, with the no-touch rules, he would be unguardable,’’ Rivers said. “With his footwork and his body strength, Paul would be unguardable now.

“I always call Paul a professional scorer and that’s what he was. We laugh now and it’s amazing how close we are. But that first year was not the smoothest transition. Watching him even today in practice against 24-year-olds, it’s amazing how he can still score. He knows how to get the ball in the rim. A lot of people never figure that out.’’

Rivers said when he took over as coach of the Celtics in 2004, he suggested some changes in Pierce’s offensive arsenal.

“I thought he caught [the ball] and held it,’’ Rivers said. “My whole thing was catch it and move it and get it back and then the defense is not going to load on you. I asked him the simplest question. I asked him a setup question that all coaches ask players. ‘Are you a good shooter? Or not?’ And they are all going to say they are a good shooter. And I said, ‘Well, why are you shooting 40 percent?’ If you’re a great shooter then you’re doing something wrong, and he didn’t have the answer to that. Then all of a sudden he went to 47 [percent shooting] and 46. It changed and no one could load up [defensively] anymore.’’

Rivers was asked what Pierce’s departure means for the league.

“I think they’re losing a fundamental technician,’’ he said. “Paul, I would guess, was not on a lot of top 10 highlights, yet that night he may have had 38 [points] but he did it in such a fundamental way. If you love basketball, you love watching Paul score. His footwork in how he scored. I guess [Larry] Bird did it, too. At the end of games when you drew up the play, he would tell you where he wanted, not just the ball but where he was going to shoot it from. It was amazing how many times he got to that exact spot.

“Very few players have the basketball knowledge to be able to do that.’’

It’s been a difficult final season for Pierce, who has fallen out of the Clippers’ rotation and has filled the role of supporter and cheerleader.

“He’s been great,’’ Rivers said. “Last year I thought it was a struggle for him because he hadn’t said a lot. This year he’s been amazing. The film session recently I was pointing out spacing and all of a sudden you hear that voice in the background. He just knows and he speaks up. He doesn’t use his voice all the time. He picks his spots. He knows he’s not playing every day, so they don’t hear his everyday voice, but he’s been absolutely wonderful and I think he’s soaking it in everywhere. He really appreciates the game now and you can see that.’’

Pierce said he would consider a job with the Celtics after he’s done playing, and he may also have an opportunity with the Clippers, who have hired former Celtic Kevin Garnett as a consultant. Pierce said he is more interested in team management.

“We’ve talked a lot [about a job post-career] and with him and Kevin I’ve urged them both to take their time and just see what they want to do out there first,’’ Rivers said. “In the middle of the year come back and figure it out and that’s why Kevin is back with us now. I think it’s important for guys just to take a little breather and figure it out.’’

Rivers discussed the importance of the Celtics’ 2007-08 title team to Pierce’s legacy.

“The challenge for us was to get the urgency of the now with that group,’’ Rivers said. “I don’t think we had the leverage like when Miami put Dwyane [Wade], LeBron [James], and [Chris] Bosh together. They were young. They had time. It didn’t work out in their first year. I didn’t think we had that time. Convincing guys of that going to [training] camp was my biggest job. Everyone thought we weren’t going to win it that year, we would win it the following year. I kept telling our guys we’re too old to take a year for granted. I thought the whole team bought into that.’’

Layups

For the first time in years, a full NBA season could transpire without a coach being fired. So far, every coach has kept his job and it seems it will stay that way with the resurgence of the Pelicans with Alvin Gentry, and the patience Suns general manager Ryan McDonough has demonstrated with Earl Watson . . . Not that he is on the hot seat, but Steve Clifford is beyond frustrated in Charlotte. The Hornets are 5-17 in 2017.At one time theywere pushing the Celtics for the third seed in the Eastern Conference and now they are 2½ games out of the eighth spot after losing nine of their last 10 games, including a home loss to Philadelphia. And for the first time in years, the Hornets have not dealt with major injury issues. Key forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has missed just one game. The issue is the Hornets are 28th in the NBA in field goal percentage, with Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams shooting less than 41 percent. Charlotte also lacks a true closer and has lost several close games, such as Wednesday when the Hornets blew a 17-point lead to Toronto and lost, 90-85 . . . Good news for Celtics fans: The Nets are imploding and headed toward the league’s worst record, meaning the Nets will have the most ping-pong balls and the best chance for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery. The Celtics have the right to swap picks with the Nets in this draft, which they most certainly will do. If the Nets finish with the league’s worst record, the Celtics will have a 25 percent chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick in what is considered a fruitful draft. The Celtics would have a 64.3 percent chance at a top-three pick if the Nets have the worst record. Last season, the Celtics owned the third most ping-pong balls and finished with the third overall pick, drafting Cal’s Jaylen Brown. The Nets’ freefall could hasten if they decide to trade Brook Lopez, by far their best player but likely not part of their future. With Lopez off the books for next season ($22 million), the Nets could chase as many as two maximum free agents this summer. Brooklyn will have the Celtics’ first-round pick (likely to be in the mid-20s) and their sizable salary cap space. The Nets also owe the Celtics their 2018 first-round pick in their final payment for the trade in which they acquired Pierce and Garnett.

Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GwashburnGlobe. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.