Charles Barkley and Phil Jackson get into it over Knicks criticism

Charles Barkley and Phil Jackson got into it on Thursday night as Chuck was providing commentary for a Knicks game.

Barkley ordinarily provides analysis from TNT’s studios in Atlanta, but occasionally he calls games like he did for Thursday’s Knicks-Bulls contest. Apparently all his criticism of the Knicks did not sit well with team president Phil Jackson, who tweeted that the mute button was his only option for defense against Sir Charles:

Barkley was informed about Jackson’s Twitter jab and of course did not hesitate to respond.

“I don’t do any social media but he’s too old to be tweeting… Phil’s got sensitive in his old age,” he said via ESPN’s Ian Begley.

He’s not wrong. Jackson has been so sensitive he even responded on Twitter to Chris Sheridan’s website, which said the Knicks were fleeced by the Mavs in the Tyson Chandler trade.

“Negative, I’m okay with the Dallas deal. Tyson fits there and our 3 players, Jose (Calderon), Sam (Dalembert), and Shane (Larkin) are on the court. Our season got off to a rocky start-injuries-Tyson could not have changed the outcome. Trades are judged in 4-5 year terms. Remember how Pop et al complained about the Pau trade? How does that trade look now? Just relax…and be patient,” he wrote over three tweets.

Phil has never been above a good squabble, but it’s rare that he is this defensive. Maybe all the criticism of his 5-23 Knicks is wearing on him … and we’re only two months into his first season on the job! All he needs to do is clear out the “loser’s mentality” on the team.