Charles Barkley is never afraid of speaking his mind, no matter who can feel offended by them. The 1993 NBA MVP has become one of the most entertaining analysts out there, always providing interesting opinions, and sometimes calling out players and teams for not doing what they’re expected to do.
This season, the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to find consistency. Even though the Nets led the Eastern Conference at some point, it never felt like they were strong enough to play in the Finals. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Lakers have been a hot mess, only winning games when LeBron James has a great night or when one of Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook feels inspired, which doesn’t happen that often.
Even with their terrible moments, they catch all the attention from the media, but Chuck isn’t happy with that. The former player-turned-analyst recently took a big shot at these two teams, claiming he has no interest in talking about them anymore, simply because they’re not good and aren’t playing great basketball.
During a call-in interview on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Barkley was inquired about the relationship between Kevin Durant and James Harden, but he wasn’t having any of that. Instead, he went off on the Nets and Lakers for being bad teams and still being in the spotlight (1:00).
“I’ll get sick of talking about them. I don’t know who I get more sick of talking about the Nets or the Lakers. The Lakers stink, and everybody still talking about them every day like they legitimate, and they aren’t. They stink. But listen, the Nets, James Harden had enough. He said, like yo, I didn’t sign up for all this stupidity. I’m gonna keep it moving, but it’s gonna be must-see TV the next two to three months about Philly, how that thing’s gonna work out in Brooklyn. It’s going to be fun. My job is going to be fun.”
The Nets and Lakers have some work to do this second half of the season. Brooklyn at least landed a star point guard in Ben Simmons, while Los Angeles didn’t make any moves ahead of the trade deadline. It looks like the New Yorkers will have an easier path to the playoffs, but the Eastern Conference is anything but easy this season.
The Lakers, on the other hand, will have to find a solution to their issues before it’s too late. Things were already tense before the All-Star break. The least they want now is to be part of more drama. Time will tell how these situations develop, and Charles will be ready to roast whoever he needs to roast.
