Charles Barkley is good at his job of being an NBA analyst for TNT primarily because of the lack of filter he has when giving us his thoughts. He’s paid to have strong, sometimes silly opinions. But unlike other television personalities, Barkley isn’t engaging in any kind of schtick -- he’s telling us what he thinks and why, and doesn’t care if we agree or not.
Barkley appeared on a morning radio show in Philadelphia to talk about the Sixers, and didn’t have very many complimentary things to say about the team’s new GM, Sam Hinkie, or the way the organization handled its offseason.
The Rockets caught some shrapnel because Hinkie worked under Houston GM Daryl Morey before coming to Philadelphia, and Morey is known for having a strong background in analytics. Barkley isn’t exactly a believer in the advanced statistics movement, and took a shot at the Rockets when explaining why.
From CBS Philly (via TrueHoop):I have a problem with the way the Sixers are running their organization right now. Listen, Howard, you know I don’t believe in that analytical crap. If LeBron James couldn’t spell cat, I want him on my team. I always tell people, give me a dumb guy that can really play. Don’t give me no smart guy.
The guy [Hinkie], he came from Houston. When did Houston get good? When they went out and paid James Harden all that money and [Omer] Asik, and now they went out and got Dwight Howard. That’s got nothing to do with analytics, that’s got to do with paying really good players to come to town.
It is a bit ironic that the face of the advanced statistics movement did everything possible to add legitimate star talents to his roster via trade and free agency, which as Barkley correctly noted, has nothing to do with analytics.
But getting to the point where the Houston roster was even capable of adding the likes of Howard and Harden from a salary cap standpoint was 18 months in the making, and consisted of a series of brilliant moves from Morey that required belief in a long-term vision.
There’s no question that advanced statistics are part of the league now, and will only impact the game more as the years progress. But it does take superstar players to compete at the highest level, and credit Morey for not only realizing that, but also for being able to put together a plan to bring two of those elite talents to Houston, and then executing it to perfection.