The Brooklyn Nets have rallied after a terrible start to the season that put head coach Jason Kidd’s job in jeopardy. Brooklyn was 10-21 at one point and reports said Kidd could be fired before the All-Star break. But the Nets have played well since the new year, going 11-4 to improve to 21-25 for the season. Though they’ve improved and are in position to make the playoffs out of the terrible Eastern Conference, Charles Barkley isn’t about to praise them. Matter of fact, he’s not buying them at all.
During a conference call Thursday to promote TNT’s coverage of the NBA’s All-Star weekend, Barkley ripped into the Nets in a way only he can.
“When you play in the Eastern Conference, you’re going to go on winning streaks. Listen, the Nets stink, man,” Barkley said via the NY Daily News. “They lost their best player in Brook Lopez. Deron Williams has been inconsistent. They’re beating up on a bunch of ugly chicks in the Eastern Conference. Don’t act like they have a good team, stop it.”
Classic Barkley.
Chuck is also down on Kevin Garnett and D-Will, saying KG is too old and that father time has caught up with him. He says Williams has been hit by too many injuries.
“He’s never going to get back to Utah. His best days are behind him,” Barkley said of D-Will.
I disagree with Barkley on most accounts here. I’ve said even when the Nets were struggling that they’d get a lot better once their players were healthy. I still believe Williams can get back to being a top point guard. And one thing Chuck left out is how good Mirza Teletovic has been from long distance this season. He’s a weapon as a 3-point shooter. They won’t win a playoff series, but they’re not as bad as Chuck is making them out to be.
By the way, the Nets have beaten the Hawks twice, the Thunder, Dallas, Miami and Golden State since the new year. That’s not too bad.
