Charles Barkley says “The Nets are not going to make the playoffs” as he chooses Chicago Bulls over them
The NBA trade deadline is over, and teams are looking much different than they did just 24 hours ago. Considering some of the moves around the NBA, there are certainly ones that need to be broken down and could play a major impact on certain teams making the playoffs.
Of those teams, the Brooklyn Nets are the first team that comes to mind. NBA analyst Charles Barkley said that the Nets are not going to make the playoffs this year and that the Chicago Bulls are going to take their spot.
Interestingly enough from Barkley, the Bulls didn't make any moves at all and might not be better than the Nets even without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. This Chicago team has had the same core for about a year and a half and simply hasn't been able to do much ever since Lonzo Ball went out with an injury.
That doesn't mean that Chicago can't figure things out, but unless Ball comes back soon, we should expect to see the same thing that they've shown us over the last year. But Barkley believes that they Bulls are going to make the playoffs this year, and they're going to do so instead of the Nets.
"The Bulls," Barkley said. "The Nets are not going to make the playoffs. No. Bulls"
Charles Barkley thinks the Nets are not going to make the playoffs and believe the Bulls will be there instead.
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Will Charles Barkley Nets prediction come true?
It's tough to say if Brooklyn is going to make the playoffs at this point. They did trade two top 10 players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but they did receive some decent players back. Obviously, those players aren't the same type of talent as Irving and Durant because that's simply too tough to replace.
If they find a way to continue building with what they have and Cam Thomas can somehow do what he's done, even in a lesser role, Brooklyn could still be decent and possibly make the playoffs.
Plus, factor in that Durant and Irving gave them a huge cushion in terms of the standings as Brooklyn (32-22) sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They're already seven games better than the 10th-place Toronto Raptors, who would be the final play-in spot.
If Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Joe Harris, Seth Curry and Nic Claxton can help out, they could still be an above-average team. They clearly won't be the same type of team without KD and Irving, but Charles Barkley thinks that their season might be finished. Although Barkley has been wrong plenty of times, it might not be the craziest take that he's ever had.
Let's see if Barkley has figured this out and the Chicago Bulls make the playoffs. Chicago (26-28) is in ninth place and would be in the play-in if the season ended today.