Looks like MJ and Charles will be back next season. It's actually getting to the point now where they will look stupid for creating all this talk if it's NOT for real... Either the two of them are very bored (and thus need the publicity...which I doubt) or they are serious about returning. Check out Charles interview below...it basically says 'yes'. Personally, I think they will both look foolish. Paricularly Barkley, who simply couldn't guard a Webber, Wallace or Duncan at the end...let alone a few years after retiring. Charles Barkley, who has also been the subject of returning from retirement rumors, wasn't shy about dropping hints about his and Jordan's future Thursday. "If I say anything else right now, Michael will kill me," Barkley said during the Southwestern Bell-SMU Athletic Forum luncheon in Dallas. "There's been a lot of speculation. Usually, where's there's smoke, there's fire." The Dallas Morning News said Barkley hopes to lose 50 pounds. He says Jordan has lost about 30 pounds. "I'm a little slower," he said. "But we're on pace, trust me." Jordan has donated his personal trainer to Barkley for about a week, beginning Friday. He also said they are scouting for a "big man." "We'll let everybody know when the playoffs are over," Barkley said. "It wouldn't be fair to say any more right now. The playoffs are about these guys (current NBA players)." Jordan retired in 1998 after a storybook ending to his last game, when he hit his final shot to give the Chicago Bulls a title-clinching victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Barkley's 16-year NBA career ended last season after a knee injury limited him to 20 games with the Houston Rockets. An 11-time All-Star, he led the league in rebounding in 1987 and was the NBA's MVP in 1993. ------------------
from espn front page, im at school, so i couldnt listen to it, but here's what it says so far: The statement Michael Jordan says he's not going to play basketball next season. ------------------ president of the sleepy floyd to hall of fame club. http://www.it-is-truth.org http://members.fortunecity.com/omar369
Do you find it interesting that they said they are on the look-out for a big man? Does it concern you that Hakeem is a free agent right now? Imagine Jordan, Barkley and Dream on the same team. Interesting. ------------------
Man, how many combined MVP's and championships would there be on that team? ------------------ President of the Anal Retentive School for Jerks Hey, I wanted to be president of something, and I swear everyone took every other presidential position already.
I grew up w/ Charles as my hero. It pains me to admit that he's a dumbass. ------------------ women love me, fish fear me.
Screaming- Charles never really guarded anyone in his younger days, but noone could stop him either (except Karla who always had his number). I am really excited that they both may be coming back. I think especially with their salary cap situation and with the oportunity to play with 2 of the 50 greatest ever that they may be able to attract some serious talent. You know VC would love to play along MJ and it could be a opprtunity for Webber to go back to DC. Key part for these guys, like everyone else would be signing a big man to help on D (Dream may indeed be a possibility and what is Admirals contract situation) and to find some shooters to knock down 3's while these guys post people up and attract double teams. Keep in mind in the East they don't need a dominant Center, and MJ+CB4+ one good FA (VC or C-webb) would may them a serious contendor.
4chuckie, Karl never stopped the young Charles. He stopped the injured back Charles. ------------------ women love me, fish fear me.
The young, healthy Barkley used to murder Karl Malone. I actually think that Charles would have a better chance of being successful in a comeback then Michael, because Charles used to outplay Rasheed Wallace and Brian Grant, and PFs at the end by outsmarting them and pounding it in. Michael will have to guard some athletic guards who are great perimeter defenders. Charles is also a prolific rebounder, something you can't take away from a player. ------------------ See the three, be the three.
Acheche & RM- I remember Karl being the one guy even back in the Phoenix days who use to play well against CB. Maybe my memory is just failing me and I just rememnber the last few years but I still think Karl (due to his height) matched up very well against CB. But CB4 even in his last few years would use his smarts & width to make many of the other taller PFs look silly on defense. I think CB would be fine as long as he can get back close to his old playing weight. I don't want to see the Round Mound of Rebound (like his first year in Philly) out there bounding around. Much happier to see the lean (260-270) bound chuckie!
LOL! Finally came up with a funny one. ------------------ Yugo grills, Yugo mills, Check out the oil my Yugo spills...
Malone hit his prime a lot later than Barkley did. In his prime, Malone went to the finals twice, something Barkley couldn't achieve. Add to that the fact that Malone made the All-Defensive team multiple times. Back on topic, I think Barkley is going to look silly if he tries to come back. If he manages to play 50 games I'll be surprised. ------------------ "I'll be gettin real drunk and making fun of everybody"
Charles seasons on the Suns, even though he was dominant, weren't his best days. His peak year was probably 1990, when he had better numbers then his MVP year. And Charles used to give Malone fits because, at the time, Charles was the only dominant PF who could put the ball on the floor and attack the hoop, and Malone has never really had an answer for that. ------------------ See the three, be the three.
Acheche...I like that, has a ring to it. Especially if you say it with a hispanic twist! ACHEEE CHEEEE! ------------------ HEAD KNIGHT: We are now... no longer the Knights Who Say 'Ni'. KNIGHTS OF NI: Ni! Shh! HEAD KNIGHT: Shh! We are now the Knights Who Say 'Ecky- ecky- ecky- ecky- pikang- zoop- boing- goodem- zoo- owli- zhiv'.
At least Charles showed up in big games, win or lose. If there is a bigger choking Hall-of-Famer then Karl Malone, I don't know where he resides. If it wasn't for Stockton's clutch play Malone wouldn't have ever gotten to the WCFs. I should also add, that it took Hakeem and the Rockets getting old for Malone to get to the Finals. If Barkley and the Suns had been able to avoid the Rockets they probably would have gotten there an extra time or two, and probably won a championship. Same goes for the Jazz if they had avoided the Bulls. ------------------ See the three, be the three. [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited April 21, 2001).]
I'm sorry but Karl Malon was at his peak in the late 80's, early 90's. He was averaging 29 to 31 ppg during a three year stretch. He was consistently the 2nd most dominant scorer after MJ for a while. He might have started passing more later in his career, but he was always a fine passer. The only reason his assist totals went up later in his career was that he lost a tad bit on his athleticism. But he was a bull back then. The Mailman used to deliver some of the most powerful dunks you've ever seen. Quite impressive.... With that said, Barkley used to eat the Mailman up in the early years. Karl might have the better career, but Charles was clearly the better player in his prime. ------------------
Da Man -- are you going to say that Jordan reached his prime before he even won a championship? After all, he put up better numbers then. At least one year he averaged 35 a game and shot a crazy FG percentage. I didn't see Malone on the All-Defensive team until the late 90s. Just because his numbers used to be better, doesn't mean he was a better player then. He didn't put the total package together until later -- 2 MVPs, 2 Finals. He is a Finals choker though. His non-Finals playoff stats are actually some of the best ever, however. ------------------ "I'll be gettin real drunk and making fun of everybody"
TheFreak, True, better numbers aren't everything. But Karl was definitely a better player in the late 80's, early 90's. It's just fact. He hasn't really added anything new to his game since then. He was already one of the premier jump shooters in the league back then. He was a better rebounder back then, with much more explosiveness in his legs. His 2nd MVP season was rather WEAK. He won that by default almost. His 1st MVP should have went to Jordan anyways. It was kind of like Barkley's MVP season. He had another solid season, his team was doing better than expected, and the league didn't want to give Jordan 3 MVP trophies in a row. It was production meets opportunity. Jordan's prime was definitely the first championship run, there's no arguing that. When he was younger, scoring 35 a game, his feel for the game was a little raw. He forced the issue a lot being Kobesque from time to time. ------------------
I will give Chuckster 15 games before he gets injured.....Does he really think he is going to win a championship in D.C. Not to mention the fact that he is completely out of shape. ------------------ "Dick Cheney and I do not want this nation to be in a recession. We want anybody who can find work to be able to find work." George W. Bush —60 Minutes II, Dec. 5, 2000
Da Man -- I would say that Malone definitely added a very important element to his game, that being DEFENSE. No? ------------------ "I'll be gettin real drunk and making fun of everybody"
