Charles Barkley has criticized the league’s stance on the issue related to load management, calling it a “huge problem”, just over a week after the week-long All-Star Break.
The retired NBA player turned TNT analyst spoke with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take to discuss the topic that has consistently become a hot topic among certain figures and players within the league.
Barkley told Smith that while he “loves” commissioner Adam Silver, whom he called a “great guy,” he believes he has “overreached himself trying to take care of the players.”
‘It’s like ‘don’t you guys want to do back to back? We are going to kill the back-to-back”. Now they have, like, a whole week until the All Star Game. So he’s trying to do everything he can to get his guys rest,” Barkley said Wednesday.
“I don’t think the fans will get mad if you’re making $30, $40, $50 million if you play basketball every night. But you can’t win $30, $40, $50 million and then sit out of the games. I think it’s a lack of respect for the game.
Charles Barkley says Adam Silver needs to address the problem of load management in the NBA
The NBA has recently returned after the All-Star break that Team Giannis won in Utah.
“I think it’s disrespectful to the fans, because as I say, these fans are paying their hard-earned money and, as you say, especially, you know what’s going to be crazy? This next negotiating deal from television.
“We’re going to have guys make $70, $80 million a year and say ‘wait a minute, you’re going to make $70 million and you can’t play basketball three or four days a week?’ ”
‘With all things… I mean, they fly private. They got the best medical stuff ever created. And I’m saying you can’t disrespect fans who make $70, $80 million and say “you know what, I can’t play basketball four days a week.”
The two-time Olympic gold medalist (1992, 1996) and 1993 NBA MVP went on to let today’s players know that they’ve got it right compared to most working in other professions, singling out in particular those who engaged in laborious tasks.
“I mean, listen, it’s not like we’re used to working at a brother steel mill,” Barkley added. ‘I mean, if people went to the steel mill every day…I’m pretty sure they’re tired too…but they go to work every day.’
‘So yeah, I think load management is a big problem. I think Adam is going to have to say ‘Yo man.’ I don’t know the right or wrong answer.’
Although the Hall of Famer seems to be in favor of ditching load management altogether, he pointed to a specific moment when he overheard Warriors coach Steve Kerr tell his players to “get down” at certain times. games so they could save some energy for the bigger ones later in the calendar year.
‘It’s very kind of you to take money out of the pockets of all these players. All right, listen, with some of these lesser players who don’t make all that money they say “yeah, take 12 of my game checks” and I’m like “No, no, no.” I want what you did in games back quickly,” Barkley said.
Barkley says today’s players have it all right compared to those who have to work in steel mills.
‘Today we are paying bums… and listen, I don’t want to offend anyone, but we are paying janitors. We are paying the plumbers. We’re just giving $200-$300 million like candy.’
And I’m not crazy. I am not crazy. You get what you deserve, whatever they pay you. I just hope you appreciate that “you know I’m the luckiest guy in the world.” I was born at the right time”’.
“But man, it doesn’t have anything to do with money anymore because we’re paying everyone in the NBA.”
Last week, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards denounced players who don’t suit up on game night for a rest bar injury, taking a point of view reminiscent of the late Kobe Bryant in 2019.
‘Just play, man. If you have 80 percent, you have to play. I don’t like all the sitting games, losing and stuff,” the 21-year-old told reporters after Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron in the All-Star Game.
Edwards hasn’t missed much playing time, if any, since entering the league in 2020. The third-year NBA guard played all of Minnesota’s 61 games this season and quietly leads the league in total minutes. (2,211).
He also leads his team in attendance, missing only 10 games since being drafted with the first overall pick three years ago.
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has made it clear he will play regardless of feeling tired
Six of those absences are related to non-compliance with the league’s health and safety protocol requirements.
In early February, it was reported that the NBA and NBPA were considering a rule change that would lessen burden management by correlating regular season awards to the number of regular season games a player has played in. .
Talks are reportedly continuing as the two sides continue their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations with a March 31 opt-out deadline for the deal.
On Monday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted that the league and NBAPA were “making progress in talks” to come up with a new CBA.