Out West, Houston picked up nine-time All-Star and four-time assists leader Chris Paul to partner with James Harden (29.1 ppg, 11.2 apg, 8.1 rpg) in the backcourt. Paul George was shipped to Oklahoma City to give MVP Russell Westbrook an All-Star caliber running mate after lone-rangering last season in the immediate aftermath of the departure of Kevin Durant.
That’s not to mention the Warriors, fresh off a cakewalk through the playoffs, locked down Durant and Stephen Curry, winners of three of the last four MVP awards, for the foreseeable future. They also scooped up Nick Young, a 40.4 percent 3-point shooter and one of the league’s best gunners in spot-up situations in 2016-17 to strengthen a lineup that also includes 2016 3-point contest champion Klay Thompson.
Oh yeah, and the Cavaliers, since letting David Griffin walk four days before the NBA Draft because, uh… still don’t have a general manager. It’s a series of missteps which has caused both James and Irving to scratch their heads, if not kick their feet, in frustration.
But if this is purely a basketball — and not a business of basketball — decision by Irving, he must’ve fallen and bumped his head on something hard.
To be fair to Barkley, whose criticism of James has been mostly fair, the situations were somewhat different. Barkley was in his eighth season in Philadelphia and the Sixers were going backwards, dropping from 53 wins in 1989-90, to 44, and to what would eventually be 35 wins. He wanted out of Philly, badly.
James is coming off an NBA Finals victory and has an owner willing Real Cheap Jerseys to carry the highest payroll in the league in order to hold the bulk of the championship team together. You know how your dad used to say, “Quit whining or I’ll give you something to whine about?” Barkley had something to Texas Rangers Cheap Jerseys whine about.
