Charles Barkley asserts Warriors need to win games in order to leave behind their infamous controversial off-season
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley recently shared that the 76ers, Nets, and Warriors intrigue him entering 2022-2023. Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show, Barkley shared what storylines he is most looking forward to entering the season, stating:
"Everybody is asking me is James Harden cooked? I said I don't know, but he had the entire summer to rehab his hamstring, but it's gonna be fun watching him because like I say, I don't know if he's cooked or not."
Barkley added:
"You got to watch Philly, you got to watch Brooklyn, and you got to watch what's happening here in San Francisco because if they don't get off to a good start, they gonna have to do something about the Draymond situation."
Barkley concluded:
"Everybody knows in sports winning is the best deodorant and if the Warriors don't get off to a good start? Man, everybody knows what's happening, we all talk, we all watch TV in the morning. We all watch the internet. If they don't get off to a good start, it could be serious issues here in San Francisco."
It should come as no surprise that Barkley has included the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors in the storylines that he is most looking forward to. All three teams enter the season with varying levels of controversy and/or question marks. The most surprising part of Barkley's statement is his omission of the Los Angeles Lakers as they enter the season with perhaps the most controversy.
Watch Charles Barkley discuss the NBA storylines that interest him entering 2022-2023 below (starting at the 1:40 mark):
76ers, Nets, and Warriors are teams to watch out for this season
The Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors are all expected to compete for an NBA championship in 2022-2023. All three teams, however, enter the season with controversy or question marks.
For the 76ers, their are legitimate questions about their stars, James Harden and Joel Embiid, as well as their head coach, Doc Rivers. Harden faces questions about his ability to lead a team to a championship, as well as whether he could be the player he was with the Houston Rockets. While Embiid has been called out for his inability to lead the 76ers past the second round, Rivers' coaching abilities have come under fire.
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons have all spent the offseason under scrutiny in Brooklyn. Durant infamously asked for a trade that he wasn't granted. Irving and Simmons both missed the majority of 2021-2022 leading many to question their commitment to the game.
While the Warriors are the defending NBA champions, they ran into their share of drama as Draymond Green and Jordan Poole were involved in an altercation at practice. The incident represented a conflict that many felt could alter the Warriors dynamic.
James Harden making a comeback after recovering from injury
James Harden spent much of the 2021-2022 season battling a bad hamstring. Questions have persisted about whether Harden's time as a star player is over. With additional eyes on Harden, he performed great in the Philadelphia 76ers season opener, finishing with 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists on just 14 shots.
Harden's shooting slash of 64.3 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from the field, and 100 percent from the free throw line made his performance even more impressive. While it is just one game and Harden will have to build on it, if he had performed poorly, there would be chatter about how he is done.