Basketball legend and current NBA analyst for TNT Charles Barkley has joined the fray in weighing in with his opinion about LeBron James’ decision to spurn Cleveland for the Miami Heat.
On the “Dan LeBatard Show,” Barkley said that, while James operated within his rights to choose the team he preferred, he believes LBJ should have notified the team in advance. Barkley also hated the one-hour TV special.
“I had a couple of problems about the special,” Barkley said. “Thank God I was in Canada and didn’t have to watch it, I thought that was stupid.”
Barkley was said to have been “disturbed” by James opting to go to Miami and believes “this thing has been planned all along.”
If what LeBron James did was dishonorable, then so was Barkley’s maneuver. NBA fans over 30 will remember that Barkley all but demanded a trade from Philadelphia to the Phoenix Suns when he realized that the talent around him would not secure a world title. While with the Suns, Barkley came close to winning a title in the 1990s, but they were defeated in six games by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
And here’s the kicker: when the talent level in Phoenix began to wane, Barkley sought to hook up with legends Hakeem Olajuwan and Clyde Drexler of the Houston Rockets in the latter portion of his career. Once again, Barkley came close, but never actually held the Larry O’Brien trophy.
LeBron James basically did what Barkley did, only earlier in his career. If Barkley found it OK to team up with two superstars to try to win a title, then what is it wrong with LBJ doing it?
It’s like what Kevin Garnett told James after the Boston Celtics eliminated the Cavs in last year’s playoffs: If Garnett had known what he knows now, he would have left the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in his career to get a title. Garnett, as we know, finally won a title when he teamed up with Paul Pierce and incoming sharpshooter Ray Allen, but it was in the twilight of KG’s Hall of Fame-caliber career.
James doesn’t want to wait that long. And he shouldn’t have to.
–terry shropshire
