It is said that time waits for no one and that he who stands still will fall behind.

Unless he happens to be 37-year-old power forward Charles Oakley, who has returned to the Bulls to receive perhaps his greatest compliment from the man who first drafted him 16 years ago.

''Oakley's got a good future ahead of him,'' operations chief Jerry Krause said during media day Monday. ''He's special.''

As for Oakley and his challenge to prove he is still an NBA starter on the league's youngest team?

''I'm just going to come in here with my hard hat on and have me two sandwiches,'' Oakley said. ''I don't eat peanut butter and jelly. So they're going to be good sandwiches.''