Charles Barkley does not lack opinions. They are not always right, nor always well-informed, but he has them nonetheless. On the topic of the Golden State Warriors, Barkley has many thoughts, most of them circling around the fact that they can’t win a championship as a jump-shooting team. As he told CSN Bay Area:
“I don’t like jump-shooting teams,” Barkley said. “I don’t think you can make enough jumpers to win four series, and I’ve said that for 25 years.”
Barkley did say he believes the Warriors will win the series.
“They’re going to beat the New Orleans Pelicans, but they have to some matchup issues and I think they’ll struggle against big teams,” he said. “They’re a legitimate contender, but I just think bigger teams can beat them up down low.”
This is not the first time Barkley has voiced his doubts about the Warriors (or any jump-shooting team for that matter, though that’s mainly a misnomer at this point), and it’s not the first time the Warriors have shrugged off Barkley’s comments. In response to Barkley’s criticism, Draymond Green simply replied:
“It’s fine,” said Draymond Green, who in the past has engaged Barkley. “Nobody’s opinion matters when it comes to June. It’s all about what you do. If we won 82 games, there would still be doubts. That’s just the nature of this world we live in.
While Barkley’s right in that the Warriors could struggle against the Pelicans – or, rather, Anthony Davis, given the ‘Brow’s size and speed advantage up front – it’s unclear why Barkley thinks the Warriors can get beat up down low. The Warriors start Andrew Bogut and Green up front, and both of them are legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidates. Though Green is a bit undersized at the four, he’s nonetheless shown the ability to ably guard bigger and taller players. The defensive concern for the Warriors, if there is one, should focus on the perimeter, not the frontcourt.
The best response to Barkley’s comments came not from a player but from Steve Kerr, who was a colleague of Barkley’s at Turner.
“I love Charles. I worked with him for eight years,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, referring to his years as a TV analyst. “He’s incredible at what he does. He’s hilarious. He picks up every bar tab when you’re on the road; 28 people from TNT at the bar, and he picks up the tab. He bought me so many beers over the years that whatever Charles wants to say about our team I have no problem with.”
The lesson to be learned here, amongst all of this noise about jump-shooters and defense and basketball, is that the more you pick up the tab, the more license you have to say anything about anyone.
