Charles Barkley’s best known soundbites from Inside The NBA tend to be either jokes or when he criticizes current players. Just this season Barkley has questioned whether Russell Westbrook actually helps the Thunder by going for triple-doubles, criticized LeBron James over his comments about wanting more help, and has yelled about stars resting.
However, while those clips spark the most controversy — his LeBron comments became a league-wide phenomenon — he will on occasion heap praise onto a current player. On Sunday night, Barkley made sure to take some time to give love to Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley after Conley’s fantastic performance against the Spurs on Saturday night in their thrilling overtime win.
"Mike Conley earned every dime he's ever got… he's been the most underrated player in the NBA in the last 10 years." – Chuck #InsidetheNBA pic.twitter.com/gNnpc2cZ2g
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 24, 2017
“Mike Conley earned every dime he’s ever got,” Barkley said. “He’s never cheated the NBA. I respect that guy so much as a player. He’s gotten the most out of his ability. I think he’s been the most underrated player in the NBA in the last 10 years. People, they’re always talking about who makes money, let me tell you something there are some damn bums in this league. They’re like Dillinger, Bonnie & Clyde, some guys I grew up with. They’re just bonafide crooks. But Mike Conley, man, I just want to give you a shoutout. We don’t have y’alls game tonight, but you earned every dime you got. You just amazing.”
Conley’s contract was somewhat ridiculed, as he became the first player to sign the five-year veteran max under Bird rights this past summer, giving him the largest contract in NBA history at $153 million. No one doubts Conley as a quality player, but because of timing, it was an easy talking point to look at him and wonder why he ended up with the league’s largest contract ever. Conley hasn’t flinched this postseason when the Grizzlies have turned to their max point guard to carry the load, and his Game 4 duel with MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard proved that he is worth the price tag Memphis put on him over the summer.
For the regular season, Conley averaged 20.5 points and 6.3 assists per game, which are very solid averages, but in the playoffs he’s managed to find another gear, upping those to 24 points and 7.8 assists per game against the Spurs. While “most underrated player of the last 10 years” might be a bit strong, Conley certainly doesn’t get his just due nationally, and it’s nice to see Barkley take some time to show him some love.
