Skip to main content

Charles Barkley's criticism of Heat's Wade becoming old shtick - Kansas City Star

By BARRY JACKSON

McClatchy Newspapers

Updated: 2012-06-01T05:03:01Z

In the recent history of athlete commercials, few were as clever or memorable as Charles Barkley and Dwyane Wade kibitzing on those catchy T-Mobile cell phone ads.

Wade finally cracked Barkley's Fav Five, to the relief of much of America, but then immediately lost his spot after Barkley discovered Wade's nickname was "Pookie."Fast forward three years, and here's my question: Why in the world does Barkley keep needling D-Wade?It's one thing to criticize Wade for his horrendous Game 3 against Indiana, from which he has rebounded splendidly.But it's quite another for Barkley to level puzzling shots at his former T-Mobile partner. Among them:Wade, Barkley said recently, "gets far too much credit" for the Heat's 2006 championship, asserting that Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning made the difference against the Mavericks. You might recall - even if Barkley doesn't - that Wade averaged 34.7 points and 7.9 rebounds and led the Heat to four consecutive wins against Dallas. Even O'Neal, on TNT's set, scoffed at Barkley's theory.Wade, Barkley said, "doesn't make players around him better." You know who might disagree? That mostly undistinguished cast that Wade led to the playoffs - without LeBron James - in Erik Spoelstra's first two seasons as coach.While making a broader point that James should be taking more late-game shots, Barkley inexplicably felt compelled to add this:"You know the thing that's funny? Dwyane Wade never gets any criticism because he didn't close in the Finals last year. I actually think LeBron got tired. He used a lot of energy shutting down Derrick Rose. Then he had to guard Jason Terry. I think he got tired. … Wade's a great offensive player, but LeBron makes everybody around him better."Barkley should check the stats. Wade scored more than any other player in last year's Finals - his 26.5 average a shade over Dirk Nowitzki's 26.0 and much higher than James' 17.8. He also shot 54.6 percent - better than James' 47.8 and Nowitzki's 41.6.Could Wade have done more late in close games? Certainly. But so could have everybody else on the Heat. And Barkley wants to make an issue of Wade's play in the Finals? As the ESPN NFL studio guys would say, "C'mon, Man!"Let's be clear: Barkley shouldn't speak favorably about Wade just because they worked together. And Wade wouldn't expect that. But Barkley comes off as if he's searching for something negative to say about him.Wade said he wasn't aware of Barkley's comments and "I respect Charles for being a great player. I respect the relationship we have. He has a job to do. Whatever he's going to say, he can say it. It doesn't change the time I go to sleep, the time I wake up, and what I do in between. It's TV ratings."It's not going to change '06. So sorry, Charles, it's not going to change '06 at all. I was a big part of that championship. Did I do it all by myself? No. I had a lot of help. But I had a couple of games in there that helped lead my team to a championship."Wade said he has not spoken to Barkley "in a while. When I see him, I show respect as being a player that came before me that helped pave the way, especially a guy that's not that much taller than me in a sense of what he did in the game. But I don't get involved in what those guys say because they have a microphone and get to talk."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NBA Monday Morning Shootaround: LeBron James, The Hunger Games, and More - Bleacher Report

Welcome to the "Monday Morning Shootaround," Bleacher Report's recap of the weekend that was in the NBA. Along with getting you caught up on the weekend’s playoff action, we’ll give you a sneak preview of what could potentially be the greatest basketball book of all time, show you the best 70-year-old playground superstar ever, and tell you about a young star that just might choose religion over the fame and fortune of the NBA. The Opening Tip * ABC cameras caught LeBron James reading The Hunger Games before the Miami Heat played the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Shortly thereafter, the Miami Heat small forward proceeded to go into full Katniss Everdeen mode to the tune of 40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as the Heat pulled out a hard-fought 101-93 victory. After a slow start, Heat guard Dwyane Wade finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists of his own. But Sunday afternoon was all about James and his gaudy numbers, virtually all of which we...

Breaking Down the Differences Between LeBron James and Kevin Durant - Bleacher Report

LeBron James and Kevin Durant are being coined as "the future of the NBA 's next generation." That is certainly true, but they aren't exactly on the same level. LeBron and Durant are two different players, who bring varying skills to different facets of the game. Instead of just comparing them in a "who's the best" fashion, let's take a minute and break down which player excels in each and every facet of the game of basketball. Ahead is a breakdown of the differences that exist between LeBron and Durant.  Scoring Ronald Martinez/Getty Images LeBron 2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 27.1 points, 53.1 FG%, 36.3 3P%, 77.1 FT% Durant 2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 28.0 points, 49.6 FG%, 38.7 3P%, 86.0 FT% Scoring is what Kevin Durant does. It's not only his specialty, it's also what makes him such a dangerous and elite player. With that being said, LeBron isn't exactly a slouch on the offensive side of the...

Luka Dončić joins LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Jerry West as only Lakers to post 30 points and 15 assists in a game

LeBron James joined a club of one on Tuesday , while Luka Dončić joined a club of four. With 30 points and a Lakers career-high 15 assists, Luka Dončić became only the fourth player in Lakers history to post those totals in a single game in a 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The other three: James, Magic Johnson and Jerry West. We'll call that a solid group. That performance included a stretch of three straight 3-pointers to set the tone in the first quarter. It was once again the LeBron and Dončić (LeBrončić?) show, as Dončić's co-star posted 34 points on 10-of-18 shooting, eight rebounds and six assists. Center Jaxson Hayes also had one of the best games of his Lakers career, scoring 19 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting plus 10 rebounds. Dončić was two points away from tying his Lakers career high in points as well, and likely would have gotten it had L.A. not taken its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. After a back-and-forth first half in which the P...