The last word
IT’S hard for Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek to feel sympathetic about LeBron James’ complaints the Cavaliers are too “top heavy” to repeat as NBA champions.
The Knicks are struggling not to be bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference with a lineup that should make James appreciate the roster he has in Cleveland.
“I guess Kyrie Irving stinks,” Hornacek joked Friday after the Knicks concluded practice at their Tarrytown training facility. “Maybe they need a better backup point guard, too.”
King James comes to the Garden to face the Knicks on Saturday night in the midst of a war of words with Hall of Famer-turned-broadcaster Charles Barkley over remarks James made about needing more help to win another NBA title.
“We’re a top-heavy team,” said James, who has at times been vocal about what personnel moves he believes the Cavaliers front office should be making. “I just hope we’re not satisfied. ... It’s like when you don’t have bodies, it’s tough.”
Barkley responded on TNT by calling James’ remarks “whiny” and accused the three-time champion of being “a guy that’s great, but doesn’t want to compete.”
That drew a response from James, who pointed out some of Barkley’s less-than-stellar moments.
“I’m not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that,” James told ESPN. “I’m not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, ‘I’m not role model.’ I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying.”
The Knicks tried to offer the Cavs some help, reportedly proposing Carmelo Anthony in exchange for Kevin Love. Cleveland declined, leaving James frustrated. The Cavs (33-15) begin a four-game road trip at the Garden where they have won their last six visits.
The NBA brotherhood has been rallying around James in his beef with Barkley. Old school versus new school. Anthony, who has been the subject of similar discussions and criticisms, sees it like this: “At the end of the day, I think he’s human. We all are human, even though we’re considered superheroes, super athletes and nothing is supposed to affect us. We’re supposed to go through life taking it on the chin. It affects us in certain ways. In his situation, he got tired of hearing it from that particular person.”
James has earned the right to say what he wants and Barkley has the platform to say what he wants. James has the rings to be able to say what he thinks the Cavs need. It’s not as if NBA stars haven’t triggered changes in coaches and personnel before. Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and Jason Kidd all had their fingers in such matters when they were players.
While Barkley questioning James’ willingness to “compete” is a reach, all of his remarks were on-court issues. James made it personal mentioning debt and extended nights in Vegas. He also need not remind us of his legacy and all he has done for basketball. We know the résumé.
Hornacek seemed amused by it all, a player in a different era, before social media and baller-on-baller crime.
“When you look at the big picture, they probably handle it pretty well because there’s so much with Twitter and everything else,” Hornacek said. “I don’t have all that stuff, but everybody can make a comment. It can always be out there. Back when we played, we probably didn’t hear half the comments. There was no platform for anyone to say something. So when you look at it, overall they’re probably handling it pretty well. I just tell the players, don’t pay attention to that stuff.”
The Knicks can only hope James doesn’t take out his Barkley frustrations on them Saturday night.