Charles Barkley praises LeBron James, picks Chicago Bulls to win the East – NBA Update
The legendary retired basketball player Charles Barkley recently had some nice words for super star forward LeBron James. Barkley though didn’t have the same optimism about LeBron’s teammates at the Miami Heat, and instead picked Chicago Bulls as the stronger team in the Eastern Conference.
The former icon, who is now an analyst with TNT, is known for his outspoken views and brash nature, but his punditry, is still probably the most widely followed in the NBA. Barkley also ran afoul of the Miami Heat players and fans during last season’s playoffs, when he criticized the team and was ultimately vindicated.
This season the Heat have looked pretty strong again, and are most people’s favourites for the NBA World Championship. They have though had an up and down run recently, and that has prompted Barkley to repeat a warning he issued at the start of the season.
While Barkley has always been a fan of LeBron’s talent, he believes that the player would have to play at an incredibly high level if he is to lead the side to victory.
"I think that LeBron James has to play at a Michael Jordan-type level every single night because that team has so many holes on it. . . . I said this earlier in the year, they're only going to go as far as LeBron James takes them."
Michael Jordan, widely considered to be the best basketball player of all time, carried his side, the Chicago Bulls, to 6 consecutive NBA titles in his playing days. While James has drawn comparisons with the great, he has never accomplished anything nearing Jordan’s pedigree.
Barkley further criticized the Heat, saying that he did think James was the best player in the league today, but his teammates weren’t of a sufficient enough level.
"LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. If he doesn't play at a crazy level and make those guys better -- [Mario] Chalmers, Joel Anthony, [Udonis] Haslem -- if he doesn't get those guys off, they can't win. I don't think he gets enough credit for that.”
The Heat are particularly weak at the centre position. They don’t have anyone who can hold his own against the better centres in the league, in fact, not even someone who can provide some stability at the back.
The onus has been on James and power forward Chris Bosh to use their inside presence and make up for the lack of a quality centre. Bosh though hasn’t looked like strong in that department, and Barkley wasn’t afraid to point that out.
With so many “holes” in Miami, Barkley said he couldn’t see them beating the Chicago Bulls, who are topping the table in the East at the moment.
"I think the Bulls have a really good chance against the Heat. I do. I like that team,"
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