Charles Barkley is never afraid to speak his mind. You can criticize him for a lot of things, but you can’t criticize him for that. Barkley’s candor is a big reason why Inside The NBA on TNT remains the single most entertaining sports studio show going. Some would suggest there isn’t even a close second, and that has little to do with Barkley’s questionable (at times) analysis. The NBA on TNT crew is just flat-out entertaining. The basketball talk is secondary.
What really sets Barkley apart from the rest of his peers is his willingness to openly and severely trash the NBA product. Barkley isn’t the only NBA analyst to criticize the NBA, of course, but nobody does it with as much conviction in front of millions of live viewers every week.
Barkley has used his platform to repeatedly slam DeMarcus Cousins. He’s got beef with LeBron James. He mercilessly roasted LaVar and Lonzo Ball. This is what he does.
Barkley’s latest critique comes courtesy of Marc Stein’s latest article for The New York Times, and in true Barkley fashion, it’s brutally honest.
The inimitable Charles Barkley sees it much the same way. Looking ahead to his broadcasting duties with Turner Sports, Barkley didn’t hesitate to voice his frustration with the perceived gulf between the Warriors and the 29 other teams, even after all the summer shuffling.
“The toughest thing for me is I have to get on TV and fake it for seven months that it’s not going to be the Warriors and Cavs in the finals again,” Barkley said.
Barkley might receive a little pushback on his Cavaliers claim. The top-end of the Eastern Conference should be better this season, and with all the uncertainty surrounding Isaiah Thomas’ hip injury, the Cavaliers aren’t necessary NBA Finals locks. In Barkley’s defense, betting on LeBron James to make the NBA Finals again is never a bad call, though.
Barkley’s larger point is something a lot of NBA fans can relate to. Basketball is great. The NBA, week-to-week, is the most entertaining sports league on the planet, and it’s managed to get to this point in one of the most predictable eras in NBA history.
Barring injury, the Warriors should win the NBA Championship again this season, and it’s fair to say that knowing this in October, before a single regular season game has been played, is really unfortunate. There should be more competition. It shouldn’t be this predictable.
A common critique of Barkley’s point is that NBA fans should ‘appreciate how great the Warriors are’. Isn’t it awesome to see these guys play basketball together? Sure, but at what point does that greatness, that predictability, get stale? Barkley would argue that we’ve already reached that point, and a lot of people share that opinion.
