Charles Barkley unloads fiery rant on finger-pointing Cavs - 'I ain't having it!'
Charles Barkley is not one to hold back his opinions, and he wasn’t about to stay silent on the melodrama and finger-pointing that have surrounded the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On TNT’s “Inside the NBA” Thursday, Barkley ripped the team for blaming All-Star forward Kevin Love for their recent failings.
Some of Love’s teammates reportedly suggested he was faking an illness last weekend when he left a game early.
“I’ve had enough of the Cleveland Cavaliers,” Barkley said. “I know there’s another network, a TV partner of ours, who follows them around like puppy dogs, but I’ve had enough — I’ve got to vent.
“These guys trying to blame all their ills on Kevin Love, I’ve had enough of it. Now, I’ve got a list of guys here — I don’t know what happened to them, but they’ve been MIA. They’re on a milk carton somewhere. Tristan Thompson, what happened to you? Jae Crowder, what happened to you? J.R. [Smith], Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye?
“For you guys to go after Kevin Love — hey, if the guy says he’s sick, he’s sick — but for you guys to go after Kevin Love, the second-best player on the team, that’s just bogus and lightweight. To try to blame that guy because y’all stink, that ain’t right and I ain’t having it.”
The Cavs held a team meeting earlier this week where Love was made the fall guy for the team’s recent struggles.
“Several players were pushing for the Cavaliers’ management and coaching staff to hold Love accountable for leaving the arena before the end of Saturday’s game, and then missing Sunday’s practice,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
Love left last Saturday’s blowout loss to the Thunder after playing only three minutes, complaining of feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Cleveland had lost 10 of its last 13 games at the time of Barkley’s rant.
“Now you all know I like Kevin Love as a player, and he’s not perfect, but for all these other guys who are playing like dogs to try and go after Kevin Love,” said Barkley.
I applaud Charles Barkley for defending Kevin Love. No way the second best player on the Cavs should be disrespect so much and treated as the scapegoat. Love is unappreciated and underrated. @NBAonTNT
— JAM 🍇 (@Cooldj0314) January 26, 2018
He joked that the Cavs haven’t been good since Barack Obama was in the White House. “They can only play if the president’s black,” Barkley said.
I LOVE CHARLES BARKLEY THIS DUDE JUST CALLED OUT ALL THE CAVS FOR SUCKING, STOOD UP FOR HIS BOY KLOVE, AND THEN SAID THE REAL PROBLEM IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE A BLACK PRESIDENT ANYMORE I AM HOWLING 😂😂
— Traeger (@ZachTraeger) January 26, 2018
But then he got serious again and finished his rant by saying, “I’m not going to let them blame all that stuff on Kevin Love. Now print that. I feel better now.”
It seems like the team might have got the message, as the Cavs beat the Pacers Friday night 115-108. Thompson, whom Barkley called out, had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds as he was reinserted into the starting lineup. Smith tossed in 23 points.
LeBron James had a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and Love had a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards.
All five starters were in double figures, including Derrick Rose (14 points) and Jeff Green (11 points). That’s the kind of balance the team needs if it wants to win another championship.
Crowder, who lost his starting job, had just three points in 16 minutes.
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