Former Chicago Bulls player lashes out at Charles Barkley - "I'm sorry what generation was MJ from?"
Jay Williams had a lot to say about Charles Barkley's recent comments on players and their sensitivity to criticism. In a particular reference to Barkley's ongoing feud with Kevin Durant, Williams highlighted why Barkley was in the wrong.
Charles Barkley has earned quite a reputation as an analyst for critiquing superstars in the NBA. As an elite player and Hall of Famer, Barkley has the right to expect more from certain players.
However, Chuck has often rubbed players the wrong way. This has held particularly true in the case of Kevin Durant.
Durant and Barkley's feud is well-documented at this stage. The feud saw its origins from Barkley's comments on Durant not being a "bus driver" on a championship team. Since then, shots have been fired on both sides.
Former NBA player Jay Williams outright disagreed with Barkley's recent comments about Durant. While discussing Barkley's criticism in a recent episode of "Keyshawn, JWill & Max," he emphasized upon the generational difference Barkley was referring to. He said:
"I'm sorry what generation was MJ from. ... This is how players live! We're built this way! Get out of here with that. Now you can say, players hear it more than ever because of social media and players are raised through the lens of social media. More of you have access to them and they react more. But let's stop acting like players weren't always sensitive."
Williams drew a comparison with Michael Jordan to emphasize his point:
"The greatest player of all-time. The toughest guy. The most mentally strong is sensitive towards Charles Barkley saying he's a horrible GM and owner. Get out of here!"
“Get out of here with that!”
@RealJayWilliams totally disagrees with Charles Barkley that current NBA players are more sensitive than ever. #KJM https://t.co/ntSHGU3NYJ
Although the panel had more to add to Williams' statement, JWill pulled himself out of any further discussion.
There appears to be some degree of truth to what Williams said. Some of the greatest players have been rather sensitive to criticism. By taking it "personally," many even fuelled their performances.
Whether the same holds true for Kevin Durant is up for debate. As the Suns superstar recovers from injury, Phoenix will look forward to seeing him back in time for the playoffs.
Was Charles Barkley right to criticize Kevin Durant?
Whether Charles Barkley was right in criticizing Kevin Durant is certainly a topic of debate.
On one hand, Barkley's "bus driver" analogy does hold some water as Durant hasn't won a title outside of his tremendous run with the Golden State Warriors. Charles Barkley, on the other hand, hasn't won an NBA title.
A lot of what is right and wrong lynches on Durant's ability to win the chip with the Phoenix Suns this season. To say that there are high expectations placed upon KD is an understatement.
Considering his run-ins with injuries and the short span of time he has had to build chemistry with the Suns team, it is definitely a challenge.
Durant is due to return to action soon. With the Suns also on the verge of making the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how quickly KD can get back into the flow of things.
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