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If you were surprised at how short Kevin Durant was with Charles Barkley on TNT on Tuesday night, you just haven’t been paying attention. Barkley has criticized both KD and Kyrie Irving in the offseason … and it was personal, with the Hall of Famer questioning the integrity of both players.
And as Ian Eagle told David Aldridge of The Athletic recently, Durant has a long memory.
“I think he is going to be a possessed man, personally. I think you know this, but it takes names. and he knows what was said, who said it, when it was said and that motivates him without end. Now how does all that work. “
So let’s take a look at how Durant answered Barkley’s question in the postgame.
Note that only the Chuckster received little attention. KD was respectful to the others on the panel.
So let’s review what Barkley has said about Durant and Irving, as reported by NBA veteran Etan Thomas for Basketball News. Let’s start with what Barkley said about Durant on “The Dan Patrick Show” in October.
“To be on my Mount Rushmore, you have to be a bus driver, you have to be that key guy on your team … Until KD wins one in Brooklyn, he won’t be a bus driver for me,” he said, adding that Durant has been a “bus driver” rather than a “bus driver.”
Oh. If you need to recall, in his three years with the Warriors, Durant won two championships and Finals MVP and could have won a third in 2019 had his Achilles tendon not ruptured. Prior to his arrival, Golden State had won a title and lost a 3-1 lead after setting an NBA record for wins in the regular season. Barkley never won an NBA championship.
But that wasn’t the first time Barkley got personal with Durant. When Durant left Oklahoma City for Golden State.
On ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” after Durant’s signing with Golden State, Barkley said KD “was going to train for an excellent Warriors team” and was “disappointed from a competitive standpoint.”
And yes, Barkley did the same (without the same success) when he chased a ring with the Rockets in 1996. Houston lost in the Conference Finals that season.
He even shot Durant during free agency last year when the 10-time All-Star surprised most people by signing in Brooklyn. In a conference call with reporters to promote a golf tournament, Barkley suggested that New York would break it because of its “thin skin.” Thomas also transcribed it back and forth.
“Well, I’d say, ‘Kevin, you’re one of the best players I’ve ever seen. You also have the finest skin I have ever seen. I don’t know if you’re made for New York City, ‘”Barkley said. “I think that would be the most difficult aspect. If you’re arguing with these teens online, you won’t be able to deal with the New York media … I don’t think you have the frame of mind to perform in New York. That’s just my personal opinion. “
Now, let’s move on to what Barkley said about Irving in his short-lived media boycott for which Irving and the Nets were fined $ 25,000 each, again according to Thomas of Basketball News. Speaking on ESPN’s “Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin Show,” Barkley criticized Irving.
“And when he speaks, I say ‘what the hell is he trying … what is he saying and what is he trying to say?’ Start talking about what an artist is. He is a basketball player. That is what it is. Listen, we’re not … we’re not first-line first responders. We are not teachers. Man, you dribble a basketball, stop acting like you’re the smartest person in the world, “Barkley told ESPN.
“Now can you talk about social issues and things like that? Of course. But some of these other things are like ‘man, you do realize you’re just a basketball player, right?’ And it seems like he says ‘no, I want you to realize that I am the smartest guy in the room’. Well, first of all, you are not. You only went to college for six months. Many guys are smarter than you. Just answer stupid basketball questions. And if you want to say something about social justice, say it and mean it, because it is important and meaningful. But all those other things? Like, man, shut up and talk basketball. “
All very well. Many people criticized Irving, but Barkley’s comment came three days after Irving gave a 17-minute press conference via Zoom with 25 reporters. So, in short, don’t expect Barkley to be on the Nets players’ Christmas card list.
