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Just because you think something doesn’t mean you should say it.
It’s a lesson parents have tried to instill in children for centuries. Maybe it’s one that the TNT Sports producers should start trying to instill in the on-air talent
I take about as much joy in taking my childhood idol, Charles Barkley, to task, as I do walking barefoot outside in Phoenix in July, but it’s time he gets to the bottom of his issues with Kevin Durant, work on them and move the hell on.
Over the weekend on TNT Sports’ NBA All-Star Game AltCast, the former Sun got back on his soapbox about Durant saying:
“No disrespect to Kevin. Kevin’s a follower. He’s not a leader. He’s proven that on all his stops. Booker’s a hell of a player, also. I think he’s gonna have to take the initiative and take this Suns team to the next level. Because, man, Kevin’s a hell of a player; I ain’t never gonna say anything bad about him. But I said the same thing with Boston: one of your guys has to step forward, he has to step forward, and for me, for Phoenix to be successful, it has to be Booker.”
The leadership slander again Chuck, really?
Leadership takes many many forms with varying degrees of success.
There are vocal leaders who rule by sheer force and personality.
There are leaders who inspire by connecting with people.
There are leaders who are quiet and guide people by the example they set every day with their work ethic.
There are democratic leaders who make decisions by taking everyone’s opinion into account.
The point is, there are multiple ways to lead someone to the ultimate goal on the court and in the boardroom.
In fact, you need multiple styles within your organization to succeed.
Do the Suns need a vocal leader? Yes, and Devin Booker should be that.
They need an inspirational leader to give them energy. Royce O’Neale could be that guy.
And they need the quiet leader who does it by example. Enter Kevin Durant.
So where does Sir Charles’ beef stem from? That’s the most interesting question of all.
Is it as simple as, KD gets praise for winning titles by joining a super team while Chuck gets crap for never getting a ring?
If it is, that criticism should fall on deaf ears because Barkley doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on when it comes leaving a situation for a better one.
Back in 1992, Barkley wanted to leave Philadelphia for greener pastures.
“One night at dinner my attorney asks me, ‘What do you want to do?’” Barkley told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I said, ‘I’m never going to play there again.’ I’ve been dealing with this same BS for two years and I’ve just had enough.
“We decided we were going to send a letter to the Sixers that Monday saying that I’m not coming back to training camp, and let’s try to handle this the cleanest way possible. I didn’t want to alienate the fans.”
Sure, if you want to split hairs, he didn’t actually ask for a trade. He was dealt the day before he and his lawyer were prepared to make the request regardless.
Barkley wanted out of Philly because the Sixers had just finished 37-45 and he was playing alongside names lost to NBA history like Greg Grant, Johnny Dawkins, Charles Shackleford and Dave Hoppen.
He eventually joined the Suns with Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Danny Ainge and others and almost wound up with the Lakers at one point as well.
Fast forward to 1996 and Barkley once again wanted to be on the move when the Suns’ run started to fizzle. In fact, he apparently wanted to join THE super team of the 1990s when he demanded his trade according to Chicago Tribune legend Sam Smith.
“Barkley has named the Bulls, Knicks and Rockets as teams he’d play for. The Bulls’ problem is they have little other than Toni Kukoc for the Suns to accept.”
And it wasn’t just a rumor. Barkley confirmed in the same article he wanted out and would even sit out and go into broadcasting if he didn’t get what he wanted.
“I would trade money for the right to win a championship,” the Suns legend said at the time. “I’d like to have a shot. We didn’t have that this year. I can honestly say this season was terrible. It was a mediocre team. It was no fun. If they want to trade me to a team that has a chance, I’ll go. If they want to trade me just anywhere, I’ll sit home and play golf and see if NBC can use me.”
It didn’t materialize but he did wind up with Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Eddie Johnson – I’m contractually obligated to mention him – in Houston to chase a ring yet again.
Does a “bus driver” abandon those in the seats when times get difficult? Is it true leadership to demand out when you have an obligation in the form of a contract?
When Kevin Durant went to the Warriors and won his title he did it as a free agent. It’s a right he earned after nine years in Oklahoma City where he helped establish the Thunder in their new home. He joined a team built through the draft and decided to play with the best – much like Barkley’s desire to play in Chicago – and didn’t burn bridges in the process.
As for KD’s path to the Suns, sure he demanded a trade to the Valley, but it came after sticking it out through events that were the NBA’s version of Stranger Things. A dominant force power forward in the East forcing his way to Phoenix for a better situation: sound familiar Chuck?
The old adage says when you point one finger, three more point right back at you. Maybe before Charles Barkley says what he’s thinking about Kevin Durant next time, he should take a long hard look in the mirror before he says it out loud.
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