One of the great joys in my job is that I get a chance to talk to TNT analyst Charles Barkley. He is by far the most candid, honest and outspoken voice in all of sports. So after speaking this week with “Sir Charles,” here are a few of his thoughts:
On how former Wizards players Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison have fit in with their new teams » Haywood has given Dallas something that they have been missing. He has really fit in nicely. I love Caron Butler. That was just a great trade [for Dallas]. Antawn Jamison has put Cleveland over the hump. Haywood has done a fantastic job. If you’re playing with Jason Kidd, that’s got to be a dream come true for any big guy. All three of those guys hit the lottery. They are all in a great situation.
On his pick to make the Eastern Conference finals and the complexity of the Western Conference » I think the Cavaliers are going to win the whole thing. With the addition of Jamison and Shaq, they are the team to beat. Orlando is terrific and when those two teams play in the conference finals it is going to be a flat out war. LeBron James is the best player in the world, and it’s beautiful to watch him play at a level every night that is spectacular. In the West, clearly the Lakers are the team to beat, but if you look at those next teams, the two, three, four, five, six and seven (seeds), I think all of those series are toss-ups. … We’d all be shocked if the Lakers didn’t get to the finals, but as far as those other teams, I think they are all good, solid teams. It’s going to be fun, I’m really looking forward to it.
On the upcoming free agent class of 2010 competing in the playoffs » Those guys aren’t thinking about anything. Not about who is on their supporting cast or whatever. All of these guys talk about how they are going to be free agents. The only one that matters is LeBron James. He’s the only one that matters because if any of these other guys move, they aren’t going to make a team a contender. Joe Johnson is a heck of a player, but if he goes to the New York Knicks, they aren’t going to be a contender unless LeBron James goes with [Johnson]. All of these guys seem to think that the grass is greener on the other side but it’s not. LeBron James is the key to all of what will happen this summer. These guys are all really good players, don’t get me wrong, but if some of these guys switch teams, they are going to be in a worse situation. Unless these teams get two superstars, they are not going to be in a better position.
On Lakers guard Kobe Bryant needing to adjust his game when he is injured » [Bryant] is really banged up. [The Lakers] have really been going through the motions the whole season. Kobe uses so much energy every single night. He’s going to have to tweak his game at some point and say, ‘I’m making this move and I’m not trying to score. I’m trying to pass it to Andrew [Bynum], I’m trying to pass it to Pau [Gasol]. You have to learn as you get older that you can’t waste all your energy. Scoring 25 or 30 points a night, it takes a toll on you. He’s still using so much energy every night and as you get older, you don’t get healthy, you just get older.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on washingtonexaminer.com.
