PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 03: NBA legend Charles Barkley speaks during half time of the NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on March 3, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Charles Barkley is often outspoken about the current NBA landscape. His latest gripe is against load management.
During a SiriusXM NBA Radio interview earlier this week, the TNT analyst said he expects NBA governors to push back against the rising trend of players receiving more rest days.
“It’s embarrassing for the NBA, and I cannot wait for these owners to put their foot in their a***s in this next CBA,” Barkley said. “These dudes gonna do something to these players. They’re going to be like, ‘Wait a minute, you can’t make $50 million and not play half the season.'”
Barkley contended that “everybody is sore” during the season, so he doesn’t like seeing players take time off for minor aches and pains. He also believes the governors will get their way if they raise the issue, as “billionaires always win against millionaires.”
“I think they’re gonna say, ‘Okay, you guys don’t wanna play. I’m gonna teach y’all a lesson. We paid y’all during the pandemic. We didn’t have anybody in the stands for a couple of years, but we still paid y’all and this is how y’all repay us. Making all this money and not wanting to play.’ So, I think it’s going to be very interesting the next CBA.”
Barkley grew up in a different era. The Hall of Famer played all 82 games during his rookie season and reached 75 games in six other seasons.
He began his career by averaging 37.3 minutes per game during eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. Only Pascal Siakam (37.6) and Luka Doncic (37.5) have exceeded that number during the 2022-23 campaign.
However, that workload caught up to Barkley, who averaged 55 games played over his final seven seasons.
It’s unclear how the league could curtail load management beyond reducing the schedule to give teams more time to heal. But that would cost the NBA revenue.
NBA teams want to optimize productivity and keep players as healthy and fresh as possible for the playoffs. That’s hard to accomplish during an 82-game season with several back-to-back games.
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