Charles Barkley has been making some statements lately. The only way Barkley can. Controversially. The most notable was bashing analytics and how it’s not relevant. My two cents about that is that he’s about 30 years too late on that argument.
So if there was a perfect time to have an interview with King Charles. SI’s Richard Deitsch may have got it right on the money.
Barkley talked about the analytics debate, the Cavaliers, Daryl Morey, remembering Dean Smith and Jerry Tarkanian. But the most interesting thing he talked about was how he was nearly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1992.
Deitsch: No way.
Barkley: Yeah. The Sixers backed out. It was going crazy for two weeks so I knew it would come down to Portland, [the] Lakers or Phoenix. So I get a call from my agent one morning and he said, “Philly has traded you to the Lakers.” So I went to lunch and started drinking. I’m f—ing so excited that I am going to the Lakers. Three hours later I get a f—ing phone call from my agent saying that the Sixers backed out of the deal. I said, “Oh, s–t, I’m feeling pretty good right now.” So I went out and played that night.
Deitsch: How did you play?
Barkley: I played pretty well. I wasn’t blasted, just a couple of drinks at lunch. I mean, I was excited to get the hell out of Philly.
Man that would’ve been something. Barkley at the Lakers.
D’you think he’d be a much more happy person if he went to Lakers? The Sixers backed out of that deal. That was the last great decision they made other than drafting Allen Iverson.
