Barkley likely to criticize Kobe’s effort again

NEW YORK (AP) — Charles Barkley is calling out Kobe Bryant again for dogging it.

Barkley criticized Bryant on Monday for the way he asked the Lakers to trade him, then for not appearing to give his full effort since owner Jerry Buss said he would consider a deal.

So when Barkley goes on the air Tuesday night for TNT’s season-opening doubleheader, he will probably have some strong words about Bryant for the second time in three years. He said Phil Jackson’s questioning of Bryant’s effort over the weekend was the “final straw.”

“What Phil Jackson said yesterday, that was like they’re at the point of no return now. There’s a point where you know you can make a marriage work, but what Phil Jackson said yesterday, that was the end of it,” Barkley said at a luncheon with fellow studio analyst Kenny Smith.

“That’s the one thing I respect most about Kevin Garnett. Even though he played on terrible teams, there is not a player in the last 10 years who played harder than Kevin Garnett. And that’s the one thing that disappoints me. Phil said that Kobe’s just going through the motions. … And if your coach tells you you’re just going through the motions, that’s pretty much the end of the straw.”

Barkley called Bryant “selfish” after Game 7 of the Lakers’ first-round playoff loss to Phoenix in 2006, after Bryant took just three shots and scored only one point in the second half while the Suns pulled away. Bryant told Barkley he was upset in some text message responses, then made a guest appearance on TNT’s coverage later in the playoffs to discuss the matter with Barkley on the air.

Though Barkley said at the time he should have handled his criticism differently, he maintains now he was right, even recalling a game a couple of years earlier against Sacramento when Bryant was also accused of not shooting as a way to prove a point.

“Did you see anybody defending him? Did you see any of his coaches or players saying what Charles said wasn’t right?” Barkley said. “You can’t fool people. I like Kobe Bryant. I think he’s the best player we got in the NBA. I didn’t like what he did in Phoenix at all.”
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