In a move that was surprising to approximately nobody, Charles Barkley came out in opposition to the NBA moving up the start of the schedule for the 2017-18 season, in order to decrease the number of back-to-back games and eliminate any teams playing four games in five nights.
“You know, these poor babies can’t play back-to-back games,” Barkley said. “They’re making 20, 30, 40 million dollars a year. But we want to make it convenient for them. … We can’t stress ’em out. So we’re just going to make it more comfortable for them. The private jets and four-star hotels is not enough,” he continued sarcastically.
On Monday at Warriors shoot around, head coach Steve Kerr was asked about his thoughts on the schedule change. In addition to calling it “smart,” Kerr also managed to mix in a good-natured jab at Barkley, who has been a frequent critic of Golden State over the years.
“Back-to-backs don’t bother me,” Kerr said via Anthony Slater. “Four and five nights are tough, but eight (games) in 13 days in eight cities, ending on a back-to-back Minnesota to San Antonio. That made no sense. The league has eliminated that stuff. Back-to-backs are fine. Even this year, all the national TV games that we’re playing, I believe we only have one back-to-back (on national TV) — Houston to Dallas, a 45-minute flight. The league has gotten really smart. And the reason it’s smart is because it affects performance.
“I know there are people complaining about it. I know Barkley is saying, ‘Oh, they’re a bunch of babies.’ But we’re trying to present a good product. And we’re going to play way better if our back-to-back is Houston, Dallas, rather than Minnesota to San Antonio, going to bed at 5 in the morning. I know Charles would have been perfect in that situation when he played. That back-to-back wouldn’t have bothered him. His conditioning was so good anyway, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
Barkley, who was nicknamed the “round mound of rebound” during his playing days, was frequently accused of poor conditioning and living a reckless lifestyle throughout his 16-year career. Knowing Sir Charles, expect this to be the first of many back-and-forths between him and the Warriors this season.