Charles Barkley took exception with Derrick Rose’s comments earlier in the week and even called the Chicago Bulls point guard “stupid” for the remarks.
Rose said Tuesday that he sits out games now because he wants to protect his health for the future.
Later, Rose was given a chance by TNT’s Rachel Nichols to retract or clarify his comments, but he stood by his original remarks and even said he didn’t care if people took his thoughts the wrong way.
During Thursday’s episode of “Inside the NBA” prior to the Bulls-Raptors game, Barkley criticized Rose for his stance.
“Derrick Rose is making $20 million a year. He’s got a couple of bad knees. That’s disrespectful to maids, people who are in the army who go out and kill people and get killed. They got no arms and no legs.
“As much as I like Derrick Rose, that is just flat-out stupid,” said Barkley.
Shaq said he somewhat agreed with Barkley and even offered a mantra:
“If I could walk, I could play,” Shaq said.
Kenny Smith tried defending Rose somewhat, but he did say there was a much better and more diplomatic way Rose could have termed things.
But when it comes to post-playing career injuries, Barkley and Shaq said they wouldn’t have changed anything, even if they do have some lingering maladies or limps.
