NBA 2018-19: Charles Barkley labels the Lakers as a 'mediocre team' 

Charles Barkley today appeared on ESPN's 'Get Up' show, where he spoke on a number of topics regarding the current state of the NBA. When speaking about LeBron James' impact on the team, Barkley made it clear that he didn't believe that LeBron's addition would help the Lakers to contend:

He (LeBron James) is on such a pedestal now. He's going to get all the credit and whoever plays with him is going to get all the blame, that's what happened with the Cavaliers last year and it's what's happening with the Lakers now. The Lakers are not a good team, the Lakers stink. LeBron is great but the rest of the player's stink

The LA Lakers added LeBron James over the 2018 off-season and his arrival has led to a turn around in the team's fortunes. The Lakers have started the season with an impressive 18-13 record, although there are still doubts over the team's chances of competing with the Golden State Warriors.

Nevertheless, despite the drastic improvement, Barkley went on to list a number of teams that he believed were better than the Lakers and also labeled the team as mediocre:

When I say the Lakers stink, stink might be a strong word however, they are not better than Houston (Rockets), they are not better than Portland (Trail Blazers) they're not better than the Spurs (San Antonio), they are just a mediocre team.

You can see Charles Barkley's full appearance on 'Get Up' in the video below.

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