Charles Barkley Unhappy With The New York Knicks
It’s no secret that NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley has no fear in voicing his opinion on anything happening in the league, especially the New York Knicks.
Basketball Hall of Famer turned NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley has had his share of controversy and blatant comments on some of the biggest names in the NBA.
His ongoing fascination for the New York Knicks has always been a featured topic in many of his interviews or weekly “analysis” on television.
While in New York City promoting Turner Sports’ annual coverage of NCAA March Madness, Barkley spoke at the press conference about his thoughts on the Knicks tumultuous season.
"“I think coming into the season we were all optimistic. I’m a big Melo fan. I said well, Derrick Rose is going to be a free agent. He’s going to have a monster year. That’s what I thought going in. It just hasn’t worked. You know, the thing with Carmelo, they’ve been disrespectful, Carmelo should want to get out. You don’t want to be on a bad team your last three years in the NBA.”"
Barkley has been critical with the Knicks through the 2016-17 season on television, constantly joking about their ineffective play and off-the-court problems.
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His most recent and notable rant took place a day after the infamous Charles Oakley altercation leading to the Knicks great’s arrest on national television. Barkley shared his thoughts, blaming both the Knicks organization and Oakley for tarnishing the NBA’s reputation.
"“I thought that it made the Knicks look bad, it made Charles Oakley look bad and it made the NBA look bad. Plain and simple. There was no winners. We all are losers. Our job, we get paid to promote the NBA, the Knicks are an awful basketball team, they have been disrespectful to Carmelo Anthony, but this was a black eye for the entire sport. Plain and simple.“Like I said, everybody looked bad. It makes us look bad because we’re supposed to put a good product out there, and that was just a bad night for the NBA. Plain and simple.”"
The former league MVP has had his share of laughs as well at the Knicks expense constantly taking opportunities to voice his displeasure with having the network show their games.
Barkley even referred to the Knicks continuing to get national attention as a “conspiracy” by the NBA to ruin TNT’s ratings.
New York is currently back on the losing side of things after dropping a road game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Derrick Rose’s 26 points on 13-of-16 shooting led the team in a losing effort, but continued to build his resume for the free agency off season.
The loss dropped the team’s overall record to 26-39, further pushing the team’s already bleak playoff hopes deeper into the realm of impossibility.
The Knicks, much to Barkley’s displeasure, will be back in action Friday at the Detroit Pistons, looking to either build on the bleak playoff chances or tank for the higher draft lottery chances.
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Either way I’m pretty sure the guys at Inside The NBA will be ready to comment on the team’s status.