Inside the NBA analyst, Charles Barkley is never shy to give his opinion on the game. With the Los Angeles Lakers rolling out a vastly different roster than last year’s edition many are wondering if the team could compete for a championship in their first year with LeBron James. But Barkley already knows they won’t, in fact, he doesn’t see them higher than a six seed in the West.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Barkley lets fans know that he wasn’t a fan of the King’s move west.
“I was hoping [James] would stay in Cleveland,” Barkley said. “I look at [the move to L.A.] strictly as a business decision. He’s on the downside of his career. He wants to be a big Hollywood mogul. He’s going to be driving by the beach every day instead of going through the snow. … [The Lakers] are not even close to a top-tier team. They’re a 5 or 6 seed in a best-case scenario.”
In an ESPN interview, LeBron scoffed at the belief that he is exiting his prime, stating that is another statistic that he can beat. With the monster season, he had in year 15, along with strapping the Cleveland Cavaliers to his back and leading them to another dance with the Warriors where he nearly stole Game 1, who could doubt him. Barkley clearly.
The NBA Season is still a couple months away but they have managed to keep the league fresh in all of our minds. Where do you see the Lakers finishing in the stacked Western Conference?
