f Phoenix Suns are interested, Charles Barkley will listen
The Arizona Republic
The Suns need a general manager. Charles Barkley is available.
Don't laugh.
It's a wonderful time to renew old vows.
"I don't think it's a good job right now," Barkley said. "But I would listen to the Suns because I love Phoenix. I would listen to Robert (Sarver) out of respect for working in Phoenix. But I'll be honest: I would not re-sign Amar'e Stoudemire."
That'll get the owner's attention.
"I wouldn't do it for three reasons," Barkley said. "One, his knees; two, his eyes; and three, he wants a maximum deal. Now, he's a terrific player. Don't get me wrong. But at this stage of his career he's never been the best player on his team. That's not a max player."
It is a summer of great upheaval in the NBA. LeBron James could jilt the city of Cleveland, a move that would be cowardly and ignoble. Stoudemire and Joe Johnson could rejoin Mike D'Antoni in New York, a city that would scoff at being served Phoenix reruns. And if the right situation comes along, Barkley wouldn't hesitate to bolt his comfortable chair at TNT in order to run his own NBA franchise.
That would include the current vacancy in Phoenix, where Barkley is not at all dissuaded by the struggles of former Suns GM Steve Kerr, who rode an emotional roller coaster during his three-year stint in Sarver's employ.
"I look at it differently," Barkley said. "I want that challenge (of being a general manager). Steve (Kerr) takes everything personally. I've been a star before. Steve has never really been a star. And the one thing you learn as a star is, you can't take everything personally.
"Listen, if you win, they love you. If you don't, they criticize you. It's not right or wrong. It's just how it goes. I think Steve took it personally."
Like Kerr, Barkley would bring precious little experience to the job. But I'd hire him in a heartbeat. He knows the game, has great visibility and has the ultimate respect from today's players. He's opinionated, has the courage of his convictions and would have no trouble talking back to a meddlesome owner.
With all the dissension on Planet Orange, it's exactly the kind of hire Sarver needs to make, one that would excite most of the fan base and prove that the owner is not on some wayward power trip.
The NBA soon will be full of hot new stories, mostly concerning the free-agent class of 2010. But imagine the romanticism of Barkley returning to Phoenix, where he could win the championship that eluded him as a player. And this time, he wouldn't have to stay in shape to chase the trophy.
"I'd bring in my own guys," Barkley said. "Let's not kid ourselves: Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you know anything about basketball. I don't think (Sarver) made his money in basketball. He made his money in banking. We don't get stimulus packages in the NBA."
Granted, the timing is curious. Barkley is a giant television star. He's edgy, honest and bigger than censorship. He doesn't need the aggravation that comes with a GM's post, not with "at least two more years" on his deal with TNT. But all the great athletes are tuned a little differently. They need challenges, competition and high stakes. Barkley is clearly getting the itch, and it's only getting worse.
"I know that I'm ready," Barkley said. "I've been very patient. I've been doing this for 10 years, and what television has given me is objectivity. When you're a player, you think that the player is always right. You think that the media and fans are full of (bleep). When you're on TV, you see things differently. You have to be objective."
So where does he start?
"Number 1, a team has to have a style," Barkley said. "I would probably build my team like the Spurs, based on defense and rebounding. But you have to have an identity as a team. If you go back and look, Mike D'Antoni had a style. It was a sorry style. But at least it was a style.
"At some point, Steve Nash is going to hit the wall, and when they hit the wall in the NBA, it happens quickly. You know what they say: Vegas casinos and Father Time are the only two things that are undefeated."
Not that he would know anything about that.
Read more:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/sun...-GM-search-charles-barkley.html#ixzz0sNYQA2rm
