Barkley running the Sixers? Don't hold your breath
Who’s next? Kenny Smith?
Barkley running the Sixers? Don't hold your breath
Who’s next? Kenny Smith?
Or how about Ernie Johnson?
Now that Charles Barkley is notifying folks via text that he’s interested in discussing the 76ers president/general manager job, why shouldn’t Smith and Johnson, the only two remaining members of TNT’s Inside The NBA crew not yet to have their names mentioned in connection with an NBA front office job, throw their names in the hat?
Apologies to Craig Sager. Maybe next year.
Barkley, the Emmy award winning broadcaster and former Sixers great, texted “Yes sir” in response to a text from 94WIP’s Anthony Gargano asking Barkley if he would be interested in being the team’s GM.
Last month Shaquille O’Neal, who like Barkley has never had any experience running the day -to-day operations of an NBA franchise, had his name mentioned as a potential candidate for the Orlando Magic GM job. O’Neal later denied the report and added that he hoped to spend many more “years with Charles, Kenny and E.J. [Johnson].
Barkley signed a multi-year extension to stay on with TNT in February, and it’s doubtful that the former Sixer really wants to leave that world for the dog-eat-dog world of the NBA. And as good as the chemistry is on that show, I’m pretty sure that the rest of the NBA watching public hopes he stays there as well.
Who knows if this is just another instance of “Charles being Charles?” Remember, Barkley is good for throwing this kind of stuff to see what kind of reaction he’ll get. It wasn’t that long ago that Barkley was doing the late-night talk circuit telling anyone who would listen that he was going to one day run for governor in Alabama.
Turns out that was nothing more than Barkley musings.
However, Barkley has often said that he could run an NBA franchise better than those already charged with the job. And from what we’ve seen from some of these guys with experience, who is to argue with him?
If Danny Ferry can be the leading candidate to replace Rod Thorn as the Sixers GM or president – what the next guy’s role will be still seems a little murky right now – who is to suggest that Barkley couldn’t step in and be just as competent?
Let’s not forget that Ferry got mixed reviews in that role when in Cleveland as the GM he surrounded LeBron James with Mo Williams, O'Neal, Anthony Parker, Leon Powe, Antawn Jamison and Zydrūnas Ilgauskas. Those moves didn’t produce the results that James was looking for and probably helped make his decision to take his talents to South Beach.
From a marketing standpoint it would be great. Barkley is Hall of Famer and one of the five greatest players in the franchise’s history. Sixers coach Doug Collins has the team heading in the right direction and the front office loves him – he’ll probably be getting a contract extension very soon.
But the biggest reason why this could never happen is that Barkley’s personality is just too large. He could never come back to Philly and be in the reduced role that it is believed the next general manager will assume here.
Barkley wouldn’t take this job without full control, something he would never get. And if it’s true that Collins won a power struggle with Rod Thorn – which Thorn denies – there is no possible way Barkley comes in here and plays second fiddle to Collins or anyone else.
He may be a clown, but this man is a analys an he's a basketball guy. So, I wouldn't mind him being a GM.— Ace-Philadelphia- Barkley is an idiot. Anybody that would hire him to run their garbage disposal would be judgementally impaired beyond stupid.— tycobb
- During the playoffs Barkley had nothing but negative comments about the Sixers; tycobb is right you'd have to be a complete idiot to hire this guy. Besides, he loves the sound of his own voice too much for my taste. Other than his mouth, what is he qualified to run?— Xavier19
- Usually, I'm long winded with analysis.This one's easy....NO.— bearsfriend
- No way. The guy hates Philly.— 4x4Guy
- I'LL SAY THIS,BARKLEY DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A BAD IDEA.HE CAN EVALUATE TALENT,HE DOESN'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE, BUT HELL MOST PEOPLE WASN'T BORN TO BE A GM..IF HE CAN HANDLE IT WHY NOT??...OTHER HAND,I LOVE THE POSITION HE HAS NOW...STAY @ TNT CHARLES....AT LAST ITS GUARENTEED!— t_darb_56
- ANYONE with half a brain cell knows there's no chance at him being a GM here. This article is a waste of space!— twpman
- If there is a God and I believe he is hearing me right now, please say NOOOOOOOO....— Richardgozinya
- That's just Charles being Charles.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- Man, this would put a quick end to Doug's coronation. Personally, I think Doug needs somebody strong enough to push back running things.— rzzzzz
- While I don't agree that the article was a waste of space, given the number of posters who have been floating the idea, I agree with bearsfriend strongly: NO WAY!— chuckw
- are you kidding me? That would be a tURRible move. Love Chaaales, but NO effen way!— sore richard
- Charles Barkley is an entertainer but he is a basketball guy and he knows the game very well. At 6'4" he was one of the best rebounders in the league. On TV he is insightful and definitely knows the game. He would make an excellent GM. He would be better than Ferry and Thorn.— Horlet
- If Ferry couldn't build around LeBron then what will he do here. For get that Idea news media who push this crud!— Norm3
- Great players do not always make great GM's. Jerry West was the exception to the rule with the Lakers and that was partly because all the great players wanted to come to LA - Wilt (before West was GM), Kareem, Magic, Kobe, Shaq, P Gasol etc. To see another great player as owner/front office guy look at the job MJ has done in Charlotte. Finally took the blasphemy that was the 9-73 76ers up one spot with his 7-59 team. And even then couldn't get the #1 pick in the lottery. MJ as a player was opposite of MJ as a front office guy. Kwame Brown is the highlight of his GM career in Washington. Scary stuff! Barkley is a great Monday-morning quarterback but I bet it would be different if he were picking players without the ability to laugh it off on TNT.— joecooler2u
- Barkley" one of the five greatest players in the franchise's history"? Nope, top 10 maybe but The Doctor, Moses, Wilt the Stilt, The Answer, The Kangaroo Kid, Dolph, and Hal Greer were all better than The Round Mound of Rebound.— sedale
- I think Sir Charles really wants an NBA ring. I think he'd take it whether its as a GM/president, water boy, laundry guy. . . as far as him being GM? I don't know, the Sixers are at the point where I think they need an experienced guy who knows what he's doing.— Phils_World_Champs
- This comment has been deleted.— Quixote II
- My drink came out of my nose!...LOL...Anthony can eat as much coal fire pizza while kissing all the player's butts, as long as I don't have to endure him as a TV guy on Fox Philly...He brought a new meaning to horrid. — bearsfriend
- Bear: Quixote II (former Quixote) has many attributes, but subtlety is not one of them; a brutal takedown of Gargano (who looks like a Soprano's mobster). BTW: Tiger at -1; ESPN and CBS over the moon. Andy Zhang birdies the last hole for a 79! 14 years old and breaks 80 at the U.S. Open. Are you kidding me! — chuckw
- He doesn't have anywhere near the maturity or the flexibility to run an NBA team. A GM has to trust his scouts, do what's best for the team without letting emotion get in the way, and be the public face of the franchise. Barkley is way too candid to do any of that. But he's perfectly suited for a job as TV analyst, which he does well.— drbob1
- Why not bring in Dr. J— Ace-Philadelphia
- He's too much of a celebrity. This would not fit his personality...an Ozzie Guillenesque gaffe machine.— EmanuelP
- I think Barkley would make a good GM. One reason is he knows talent, he is unorthodox and is competitive. My only thought is why would he want to do it here tho. Like other people have noted he seems to still hate Philly. But I'd hire him just to make sure Collins doesnt have complete reign over the team. He is a strong enough personality that Collins wouldnt be able to just override him and make him do what he wants. Anybody else the Sixers hire isnt going to have enough pull to tell Doug no. So i'd definately hire him just for that reason alone.— Zeru
- He's a moron— kenny.328.usa
- No way. Barkley is a clown and would disgrace the franchise. Remember, this is the guy who spit on a little girl sitting at court side when he was mad at a call a ref made. He has no class and would drag the team down.— bling
- I know as a 76er player he cared! Remember seeing an interview with him reflecting back after the draft telling him they drafted 'Shaq' - ummm... not that one. Maybe he could be a good GM, but like MJ he has a lot of distraction / endorsements. Moe Cheeks or Arone McKee might be choices if your looking at x 76ers because of the coaching/league experience.— highfive
- The guy who thinks losing Hawes and Brand would be "catastrophic" doesn't want Barkley at GM?
Just that makes me want him more!— The Villain ET - His act would get old REALLY fast.— dasher
- Who thought this one up??? The guy's a f'in clown.— golds1
- LOL @ Bear
What makes anyone think Barkley wants to leave from in front of the camera. Like hungry fish we took the bait. How else would they be able to sell advertising during a slow news period.— BigVilFromWestPhil - A racist idiot as GM? Please. I can still see that scumbag spitting on that kid.— MilesLong1
- Barkley is truly one of the more overrated players in modern times. He is a ignorant clown with a bad track record that has never made it to the public. He is a racist! He a womanizer, a gambler with a gambling problem. This is tge guy that spit on a little kid a a Sixers game in New Jersey while aiming for the boy's Father. If people really knew what how he lives they would not like him a little bit.— Alpha58
- This is a joke right?— Cole_World
- Some outragiously harsh comments here about Barkley reminiscent of similar reactions to Michael Vick, but at heart this is NOT a story, does not have legs, is based, like a Seinfeld episode, on nothing really, certainly not from any Sixer sources. He has as much chance of being interviewed for the job as Craig Brackins.— chuckw
- F Barkley Not PHILLY YO!!!!!!!!!!— Darryl Cofield
- Half of the GM's in the NBA once played professional or pro ball, so why can't Barley do the same. He's obviously knowledgeable about the sport and still around the game. Also his criticism about the Sixers has been that they're built around only competing and not for a title. He was one of the honest observers to say the Sixers should rethink their strategy and look to build a real championship team instead of 1st and 2nd rd fodder.— J.Bradley
If Joshua Harris is planning to allow Doug Collins to do his best Larry Brown imitation, then I'm all for Charles joining the fray.— scmona- He's a knucklehead. That would be tuurabow! He's too much of a clown, and would irritate me to no ends with his wanting to be sarcastic and make jokes of everything.— hawaiiphillyfan
- Hey Charles, how about becoming a Head Coach for the Eagles after next season ??— phillafuN
- barkley is philly and went into the HOF as a sixer. Give him the GM job— tucole
- Why the hell not hire Barkley and give him full control?! We've seen how much success the former "front office types with experience" (Rod ThornInMyAss, Ed IWetMyPantski, Billy KingofHandingOutBadContracts, John NashBridges, etc., have had with this team. Exactly how many championships has this franchise won with these "execs" since 1983? Oh that's right - ZERO! It's time for this new ownership to really think out of the box and hire Barkley. They could do (and have done) worse than hiring someone with his basketball knowledge and pull with players. This franchise needs to be relevant again - sorry Doug, you haven't won anything anywhere to merit having "total control" or winning power struggles with anyone. Maybe hiring Barkley will help fill the empty seats and get a championship here! How much "experience" did Jerry West, Mitch Kupchack (for Christ's sake) and Danny Ainge have? Hmmm, they've all won championships...— 25years/100seasonsandcounting
- Sorry, John, but your analysis of Barkley's capabilities misses the mark. Seriously, who'd be better? CB34 knows both sides of the NBA (sport and business) better than most. What could beat the experience of being surrounded by Erving, Cheeks, Lynam, et al, while simultaneously dealing with Harold Katz?— Seegs
- I'll have to agree with some posters on here that Barkley hates the Sixers! He hated when Allen Iverson, single-handedly, took the 76ers to the Finals in '01! He hated this year's Sixers when they got past Chicago! Anytime the Sixers do well, he has something negative to say about it. Who needs a GM like that? Think he'll change his spots if he was to become GM? Not likely. Leave Barkley where he is. On TNT as a cross-dressing promoter of Weight Watchers!— Panthro2011
- I would love to see Charles Barkley return to the Sixers in some role, but not that of GM. Charles is too honest, too impatient and too hot-headed to run an NBA franchise in this era. If there were ever a class for the study of overachieving, he should be the professor emeritus! That man was "all in" every game of his career.— gotedge
- Another jock who thinks he should be handed a job; oh, and millions to boot! No thanks.— JBinPA
- Where's Kate>— bill poore
Keith Pompey has been an Inquirer reporter since September 2004. He takes over the Sixers beat after covering the Temple men’s basketball team for the past three years and Temple football the past two seasons. Pompey also previously covered the Penn and Drexel men’s basketball team and Villanova football team after initially focusing on high school sports.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh. Follow him on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers or reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
