BARKLEY IS THE COWARD…NOT KOBE
by Gregory Moore
published on May 21, 2006
I’m highly disappointed with Charles Barkley. On most nights, Barkley goes off and gives his commentary about what he thinks is wrong with this player or that player and I have never seen him “back up” on a stance. Yet when Kobe Bryant was a guest on the TNT set during the San Antonio Spurs-Dallas Mavericks game, Barkley not only backed up, he retreated completely from a stance in which he called the Laker star a selfish player and almost a bona fide coward for only taking three shots in game seven of the LA Lakers Vs Phoenix Suns game seven.
"I criticized Kobe Bryant in Game 7. He didn't like it and he let me know it," Barkley said. "I think I probably made one mistake by taking it public, but I wanted to get his side and his point of view. I have no problem with him disagreeing with me."
You know if you want to play sports analyst after your playing days, maybe you should be taking a class on how to hold on to your marble sack when you speak. What Barkley did was akin to what Tom Jackson and Michael Irvin did when Rush Limbaugh decided to play the racial card on the ESPN set a few years ago in regards to Donovan McNabb. You remember that episode in our sports history don’t you? Limbaugh makes outrageous statements but Jackson and Irvin sit there like a couple slugs waiting for a cool winter day. Did they say anything to the poster child of the EIB blow bag of conservative commentary? Of course not. Well Barkley is sitting with those other two because, well, that’s what former jocks turned analysts do; they cower from controversy.
I think Barkley should have stuck to his guns on his statement and he shouldn’t have been afraid of pissing Kobe off with them as well. For example, I have written several pieces claiming that I believe that Barry Bonds is a disgrace to the sport of baseball because of the controversy that he has become a part of. If Bonds or his peeps confronted me, I would not back down from that statement. If they wanted to know why I thought Bonds was a disgrace, I’d tell them my thoughts. I wouldn’t mince words or try to be politically correct. If I made a hasty assessment based off of erroneous information, I’d own up to it but that wouldn’t change my perception of him. In other words, I’d be very real and frank with him. Well the same should be for any jock wanting to be in the media. This political correctness mess needs to halt because it’s killing the product.
Barkley has a right to ‘back down’ from Kobe if he wants to. Personally I think that shows me, as a journalist, why we aren’t taken seriously anymore. Barkley should have stuck to his guns and he should have fired the word bullets necessary to back up his assessment. Whether Charles was right or wrong isn’t the issue. The issue is that Charles needed to man up, sack up and back up why he called Bryant selfish and if he didn’t have anything to substantiate his claim, then he should have never made the comments. But hindsight is always 20/20; especially when you screwed up. I’m sure this won’t be the last time Charles opens his mouth, inserts his foot, and starts sucking on his own toes; metaphorically speaking that is.
BlackAthlete.com
NBA Future:
JAVARIS CRITTENTON
Most highly regarded point guard (rated No. 1 at his position by Rivals.com, seventh-best high school player overall) to enroll at Tech since Stephon Marbury in 1995 ... Muscular point guard with size and explosiveness ... Excellent first step, difficult to guard one-on-one ... Excels at breaking defenders down off the dribble, getting into the lane and to the basket ... Can overpower defenders with his strength ... Excellent competitive drive, always striving to get better ... Excellent student who is described as a gym rat who loves to study tape, much like former Tech star Jarrett Jack, and has an impressive collection of videotape of great point guards.
Five-star prospect from Southwest Atlanta Christian School, making the McDonald's All-America team as well as third-team Parade and EA Sports All-America teams following his senior year ... Rated as high as No. 6 nationally (Hoop Scoop) and was the top-rated point guard in the country according to Rivals, No. 3 by Scout.com ... Final PrepStars.com ranking was No. 20.
Lettered four years at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, where he helped his school to Class A state championships in 2004 and 2006, and runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2005 ... SACA posted a 113-19 record in his four years under head coach Courtney Brooks ... Earned all-state honors three times, and was named Mr. Georgia Basketball in 2006 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Averaged 29 points, seven rebounds and nine assists per game as a senior, when SACA went 28-5 and defeated Whitefield Academy for the state title ... Scored eight points and had three assists in the McDonald's All-American game in San Diego ... Scored 16 points (5-15 FG, 1-9 threes) with seven boards, four assists and three steals at the Derby Festival in Louisville ... Played in the 2006 Nike Junior World Championship in Paris, France.
Earned high honorable mention honors from Street & Smith's following his junior year ... Played with current Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard at SACA and together they won the GHSA class A state championship in 2004 ... Without Howard in 2005, he carried SACA to the state final, averaging 28.4 points, 7.5 assists and 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game ... Also played in the 2005 USA Youth Developmental Festival, averaging 9.6 points while making 50 percent of his field goal attempts for the White team, which went 5-0 and won the gold medal.
A 3.5 GPA student who was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America and the Senior Beta Club ... Played in the summers with the Atlanta Celtics AAU team.
Full name is Javaris Crittenton ... Born December 31, 1987 in Atlanta ... Son of Sonya Dixon and James Crittenton ... Has one brother, Rashad, and one sister, Shaniya Lee ... Academic interest is Management.
Javaris Crittenton
Position: G
Class: Freshman
Ht: 6-5 Wt: 198
HS: Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy
Hometown: Atlanta
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