Hall of Famer and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley dismissed the Brooklyn Nets' current resurgence, saying the team is not good enough to make it out of the first round in case it qualifies for the playoffs.
During a conference call on TNT prior to the Net's game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, Barkley was vocal about Jason Kidd's team improved play in 2014.
"The Nets stink, man," Barkley said as quoted by NY Post. "They lost their best player in Brook Lopez, Deron Williams has been inconsistent, they're beating up on a bunch of ugly chicks in the Eastern Conference."
"Don't act like they've got a good team. Stop it."
Asked to predict how the Nets would fare in the playoffs, Barkley said the team will not reach the second round at all.
"I don't see Brooklyn beating Washington," he said. "I don't see them beating Toronto, to be honest with you."
His fellow analysts- Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith- agreed with his assessments, saying the Nets are leagues away from the two prohibitive favorites in the East- the two-time defending champion Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers.
Barkley said part of the Nets' woes is the declining play of former All-Star Deron Williams who has been bothered by ankle injuries. He said Williams will never get back the form that once made him the top point guard in the league.
"Deron Williams has been hurt a lot the last couple years. He's never going to get back to where he was in Utah. His best days are behind him. Kenny always has a great quote. 'There's only so many jumps in these knees,' or [in this case] these ankles. And once your tires on your car start getting hurt, you're never going to be the same, and that's just how it is."
Barkley, Smith and O'Neal said that even the inspired play of veteran Kevin Garnett won't save the day for the Nets.
"He's doing OK," O'Neal said. "But OK's not enough to beat Indiana or Miami."
"Father Time, bro," Barkley said. "Father Time. It gets us all."
The Nets have the highest payroll in the league but are struggling to make noise in the relatively weak Eastern Conference. As of Saturday, the team is the seventh seed in the East with a 22-26 record.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
