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NBA legend-turned-TNT analyst Charles Barkley ruffled some feathers when he proclaimed the Golden State Warriors “old” and “cooked” on opening night of the 2023-24 season. However, just over one month later, Barkley is doubling down on his controversial take.
During Tuesday night’s “NBA on TNT” broadcast ahead of Golden State’s In-Season Tournament matchup against the Sacramento Kings, Barkley once again called the Warriors “cooked”. He then went on to talk about how they were lucky to beat the Kings in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs:
“As I told y’all, this team is cooked. Y’all thought I was crazy,” Barkley said.
“They got away last year because Steph [Curry] went crazy in Game 7. Sacramento should have beat them.”
Barkley added that Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry won’t be able to carry the team on his back much longer. According to the TNT analyst, the 35-year-old star will likely start slowing down soon due to age and lack of help. This is why he believes that Golden State is no longer a contender:
“Steph, he’s gonna start slowing down soon. They’ve got an old team, everybody slows down,” Barkley said.
“He’s not gonna be able to continue to do that because those other guys aren’t the same, either. They’re older. This team is cooked. They’re not a contender.”
Barkley’s comments come just two years after the Warriors won their fourth title of the Curry era. However, entering Tuesday night, Golden State (8-9) sits just 10th in the Western Conference.
So, the Warriors will likely have to turn things around soon if they hope to stay afloat in the competitive West.
Kenny Smith pushes back on Charles Barkley’s Steph Curry comments
While Charles Barkley is skeptical about the prospects of Steph Curry continuing to play at a superstar level, his co-host, Kenny Smith, is not.
After Barkley’s comments about Curry getting old and being on the verge of slowing down, Smith strongly disagreed. He said that the Warriors superstar hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down this season:
“Steph Curry is not playing anywhere that looks like he’s slowing down. At all, like, not even close to it,” Smith said.
Through 15 games, Curry is averaging 29.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 5.3 3-pointers per game on 48.4% shooting. His 29.7 ppg ranks sixth in the league.
So, despite the Warriors’ struggles, most would probably agree with Smith that Curry looks as sharp as ever.
