Charles Barkley Calls Out ‘Trash’ NBA Stars As Coaches Receive Blame For Disappointing Season
Sir Charles Barkley acknowledged the awkward truth of these NBA superteams being eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs ... the players are the ones who suck, not the coaches.
Major questions surround the Lakers and Suns after they lost their respective playoff series. They boast expensive rosters but lack a real plan for long-term success.
As a result of their letdowns this postseason, both the NBA media and fans are looking toward the coaches as the sources of their problems. However, Barkley said these 'bozos' are placing blame in the wrong places.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham has been rumored to be on the way out after two seasons, and Suns coach Frank Vogel may be a tragic case of 'one-and-done' in Phoenix after falling short of expectations set on their Big 3 featuring Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and the newly acquired Bradley Beal.
Head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Darvin Ham. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PHOENIX - Head coach Frank Vogel of the Phoenix Suns reacts during the second half of game four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Footprint Center on April 28. The Timberwolves defeated the Suns 122-116 and win the series 4-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Chuck acknowledged that media members hoping to stay friendly with players tend to point fingers at the coaches rather than call out the issue with the players.
Barkley sounded ticked off by mindless fans and media folk.
"Part of our job, we watch all the games, we watch all the talk shows, all of these people on television, they're cowards because they want the players to like them. They don't want to do their job, which is to tell the truth.
"And I just want to say this about coaching, anybody who thinks the Lakers suck is because of Darvin Ham or the reason the Suns suck is because of Frank Vogel, you don't know what you're talking about. Frank Vogel is a hell of a coach. Darvin Ham is a hell of a coach trying to get his career started.
"But for all you punks, idiots, and jack***es on other networks who want to be media and who want all the players to like y'all, do your damn job. The Lakers suck, and the Suns suck because of the players. It has nothing to do with the coaches."
Teams with LeBron James often blame coaches instead of the King and teammates; that's no surprise.
LAS VEGAS - Charles Barkley and Michael Wilbon look on before the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers as part of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament on December 7, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena. (Photo by Mike Kirschbaum/NBAE via Getty Images)
James has played under eight NBA head coaches in his pro career. Miami's Erik Spoelstra and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Ty Lue were the only coaches not to be nixed because of James' frustrations.
Considering how much autonomy James holds with his teams' respective front offices, the blame falls on LeBron for constructing wonky rosters that fail to show any signs of longevity. Since he arrived in LA, LeBron's influence on offseason acquisitions or in-season trades revolves around luring the trendiest names to play with him rather than observing a proper fit.
As for the Suns' Big 3, two-thirds of their recipe for success — Beal and Durant — are known for being adept as individual talents yet show little cohesion with teammates.
NBA players and their ascending stardom often dictate too many decisions for their teams' brass. And when you let the players make the decisions, don't be surprised when things go sideways.
Or at least try not to be the 'scapegoat' when the teams crumble.
In the case of Darvin Ham and Frank Vogel, their teams' issues may be too severe to fix, thus prompting a reflexive reaction, which will probably be to fire the coach.
Those are the breaks.
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