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Charles Barkley has tossed in his thoughts about the Ja Morant incident and regarding the comments made by a few analysts. A day after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that Morant could be facing a lengthy suspension, others have defended the All-Star guard.
“Chuck,” who was covering Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with his TNT colleagues, had this to say about those recent comments:
“We got some idiots, some fools, some jackasses on television that really just pisses me off. Talking about Ja [Morant] should make a stance that he didn’t break any laws. He didn’t do anything wrong. We are in a state where you can carry your guns.
“They’re just freaking idiots! I just wanna say freaking because I can’t say what I wanna say."
Barkley added:
“When you’re making $100 million a year to play sports, your life changes. There’s certain rules and regulations that you have to live by, plain and simple. You can’t do stupid stuff! That’s the trade-off.
Barkley’s scathing words seemed to be directed towards another former player and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick. In the last episode of First Take, Redick fiery defended Ja Morant from a possible half-a-season of suspension:
“I’m not condoning the behavior! I’m not saying there should be no punishment. There should be. There should be consequences. You are the face of the league, you are representing the NBA. You are a role model to young kids.
“I don’t think half the season is the right answer. … “Why are we trying to lay down the hammer on a 23-year-old who didn’t break a law? Explain that to me!”
On May 14, Morant allegedly flashed a gun on Instagram Live. The Memphis Grizzlies promptly suspended him from all team activities while the NBA is doing its investigation.
Last March, Ja Morant also flexed his gun while in a strip club following a loss to the Denver Nuggets. Morant was suspended for eight games without pay due to the incident. As a repeat offender, he could be facing a lengthy suspension.
The NBA took 11 days before punishing “G12” in his first gun-flashing incident. Adam Silver may wait until after the June NBA finals or the start of the 2023-24 season to announce Morant’s penalty.
Ja Morant has forced the Memphis Grizzlies into another tough and uncomfortable situation
After the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies were eliminated by the seventh-ranked LA Lakers, Ja Morant admitted his off-court issues caused distractions that hurt his team. Just a few weeks after their humiliating loss, he was back to the same old habits.
Memphis has some tough roster decisions to make. With Morant facing a potentially lengthy suspension, the team’s offseason moves will be impacted.
The Grizzlies’ possible trade scenarios will be limited without Ja Morant for potentially half of next season. They can’t consider trading backup point guard Tyus Jones as they will be left without a quality playmaker who has been superb in Morant’s absence.
How the Memphis Grizzlies will improve other areas of concern will also suffer after another Morant off-court issue.
