Charles Barkley On The Sixers, Jeremy Lin, DeSean Jackson, And NBA Superstars
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- He may not be able to score and rebound like he used to, but Charles Barkley hasn't lost anything when it comes to speaking his mind.
The former Sixers power forward and current NBA analyst joined Michael Barkann and Ike Reese on 94 WIP on Thursday to talk about his former team, the state of the NBA, and the biggest sports story in the country, Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin. He even took some time to talk about Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
On the state of the NBA, and its superstars:
I think we're in the ESPN generation .... If you go out and get 20ish points a night. They're going to tell everyone that you're a star and you're going to make a lot of money.
There are less than 10 great players in the NBA.
I'm not sure these guys want to be great players, plain and simple.
What we always thought was a superstar was a guy who could win the game multiple ways.
On the Sixers, and their playoff prospects:
I think Doug [Collins] has done a fantastic job. But the way that team is situated right now, they're at their peak. Doug has gotten more out of that team than I think anybody could. But the negative to that is, they're at their ceiling. They're a playoff team at best. It depends on their first round match-up, can they win. But I don't think they can win more than one series. But it depends on their match-up.
They're not close. They're not close to winning a championship. Chicago and Miami are head and shoulders above anybody in the Eastern Conference. I'm not sure they're not better than Indiana.
The Sixers have a good solid team, but they're not good enough to win more than one round in the playoffs. I'm not even sure they're better than Orlando.
Listen to the entire interview with Charles Barkley:
Podcast
On Jeremy Lin, and the future of the Knicks:
This kid is the hottest thing going in the NBA right now.
It's a great story, but I think what you see is, man, there are so many good basketball players out there that just need to be put in the right situation.
Let me tell you something, if Carmelo and Amare buy into this Lin kid, and they play a little defense and rebound the ball, the Knicks got a better team [than the Sixers], and they're more explosive.
It's great for the NBA, it's probably great for New York City, but I just hope he has staying power. It's only been a week.
I don't think they're a threat to Miami and Chicago. I think they're the two best teams in the NBA. Are Amare and Carmelo going to play any defense and rebound? And their history says no.
They do such stupid stuff some sometimes [the NBA]. They have a chance to add this kid to the rookie sophomore game, and they said they're not going to do it. That's just stupid.
On Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson:
This guy let money distract him so much. He's always been a terrific player. On the verge of being great. But he got so distracted by financial stuff.
I felt bad because I think he's a great kid who got some bad advice. But you should never let money dictate. If you just go out there and kick some behind, you're going to get paid.
