Charles Barkley likes to speak his mind. Typically, he takes a comical approach to his comments and he can be off-color. Sir Charles had some unkind words for Donnie Walsh and the Knicks. But they weren’t funny because they were offensive. They were offensive because they were ridiculously obvious.
Chuck isn’t a fan of Donnie Walsh’s plan to reload in 2010 with a new core of players. To facilitate that move, half of the fourteen players on the Knicks’ roster will be free agents next year. Here’s what the TNT analyst had to say about the Knickerbockers:
“When you set up yourself by basically saying, ‘We’re going to (stink) for the next two or three years,’ I don’t think there is any way that can be good for your team. They’re not going to win because those guys know they’re not going to be here next year. To expect them to give 110% is unrealistic.”
First of all, the Knicks are going to stink no matter what the rebuilding plan is. Second, isn’t it always unrealistic to ask somebody to give 110%? And where was Sir Charles during the whole “Isiah” era? Did he not have criticism for Team President Isiah Thomas, General Manager Isiah Thomas, or Head Coach Isiah Thomas?
Kidding aside, he does have a point. The Knicks will never be successful if half of the team knows they’re going to be wearing a different uniform the following season. Though Donnie Walsh did structure the contracts of Nate Robinson and David Lee so that they receive bonuses if the Knicks make the playoffs. There isn’t really a solution here since extending the Knicks crappy players would probably make them worse. For that reason, Walsh has opted to chase the chicken rather than the egg.
Tags: 2010, basketball, charles barkley, contracts, Donnie Walsh, free agency, free agents, NBA, new york knicks, playoffs
