LeBron James has been dominating the headlines over the past week for two reasons. One was when he and his Los Angeles Lakers had fans and media giggling at their potential. The other was when he slammed Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith for their extreme criticism of current gen players.
Smith addressed those criticisms on First Take immediately, going to the extent of calling James a hypocrite. Even when his colleagues and a former player retorted with facts on how Smith and older members of the media have been unfair to James, Smith held his line.
But the ESPN analyst did not stop from marveling at what the 40-year-old superstar and his Lakers have been doing. He even suggested that the men in purple and gold could go all the way if they kept this intensity up. After listening to all this, Charles Barkley went off on a three-minute rant.
He said the Lakers saved the NBA season. That’s because of them fools at the other network, which we’re going to be working at next year, that’s all they talk about. Let me tell y’all something. First of all, I want all the smoke. I don’t whistle when I walk by the graveyard or anything like that.
Charles Barkley said
The (He) Barkley referred to was Kendrick Perkins . He did not mention his friend Stephen A. Smith but ranted that everyone at ESPN were biased in their conversations surrounding LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Charles Barkley GOES OFF about Lakers/Warriors coverage (and LeBron James/Michael Jordan debates) from "the fools on the other network (ESPN), which we're going to be working for next year." ️☠️ pic.twitter.com/0RyvL0H4ix
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2025
The Hall of Famer believes the Lakers had two great weeks. That is not enough to harp about them constantly and ignore the other teams who have been great all year. He particularly was annoyed with Perkins for suggesting that the Lakers have saved the NBA.
As soon as Charles Barkley finished this rant, clips of it spread online like wildfire. Many were expecting him to speak up, but the crew at Inside the NBA made an entire segment of it. But his particular attack on Kendrick Perkins came to the attention of the former champion.
Hey NBA on TNT might wanna tell that senior citizen Charles Barkley that I’ll be around. When he see an idiot or fool in person make sure he keep that same energy. He can come playing with me if he want to and imma Address his ass like the numbers on a house. Straight from the 409 homeboy and we bar none and fade all.
Kendrick Perkins wrote
The ESPN analyst went all out on Inside the NBA and Charles Barkley. He even went to the extent of almost issuing a challenge to confront Barkley face to face. This restarts the back-and-forth bickering the two had some time back.
Hey @NBAonTNT might wanna tell that senior citizen Charles Barkley that I’ll be around. When he see an idiot or fool in person make sure he keep that same energy. He can come playing with me if he want to and imma Address his ass like the numbers on a house. Straight from the 409…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 7, 2025
But it also brings to the forefront how the two sides disagree on many topics. With ESPN set to air Inside the NBA next season onwards, they have to work together. But this rant from the Hall of Famer just makes that situation something to watch out for in the coming months.
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Bleacher Report's Dan Favale listed the Boston Celtics' roster as one of five which 'make no sense' ahead of the 2025-26 season. Favale cited the Celtics' notable lack of presence in their frontcourt as a major issue for the Eastern powerhouse heading into an uncertain season with their superstar player out. More news: Former Celtics NBA Champion Released By West Squad "Beantown's 4-5 rotation is currently populated by Sam Hauser, Georges Niang, Xavier Tillman, Neemias Queta, Josh Minnott and Luka Garza," said Favale. "That is rough. Especially when it's only a matter of time before Hauser or Niang ambles his way onto the chopping block as the Celtics continue to slash operating costs. "Perhaps Boston will snare another 4 and/or 5 as part of subsequent trades. Or maybe it's secretly hoping Al Horford will get tired of being held hostage by restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga and return on the minimum. "Whatever the Celtics are doing here, no matter how out-of-the-mix they're attempting to be, the frontcourt needs more juice." The Celtics definitely have a need for bigs and have a plethora of guards, and will need to get bigger if they are to compete in a physical conference. The Celtics are notably tight on money, so a signing feels unlikely; however, after waiving G League MVP JD Davison, they have a spot on their roster to make a surprise move, perhaps for Horford potentially. More news: Jayson Tatum Receives Injury Advice From Former Celtics Forward Whether or not that is the case, the Celtics intend to compete this season, and will definitely need more size in order to hang around some of the better teams in the conference. For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
Shortly after former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and current college football analyst Greg McElroy shared that someone "in the know" believes there's a possibility Nick Saban — who retired in January 2024 — might return to coaching, NFL insider Albert Breer suggested that the Dallas Cowboys could be a potential destination for the seven-time national champion. According to Mike Rodak of 247Sports, Saban was asked during a Friday appearance on Fox News if he intends to come out of retirement. "No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban responded. "It's exciting to still be involved in the game. It's exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conference commissioners, people in Congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always try to do as a coach." Saban, now working as an ESPN analyst, will be 74 in October. Per Christian Datoc of the Washington Examiner, President Donald Trump could consider having Saban "lead a new commission examining problems arising with the growth of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and coinciding changes to the NCAA transfer process." Meanwhile, it's thought that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could look to hire a big-name candidate if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer fails to impress during the 2025 campaign. Additionally, Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd recently hinted that Saban could be interested in becoming the head coach of the Cleveland Browns if the team selects Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the first pick in the 2026 draft. "There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban added during Friday's segment. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I did it for 50 years. I loved it. I loved the relationships with the players. I loved the competition. But it's another station of life now. I enjoy what I'm doing right now and want to continue to do it — spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. It's been really, really good." The "right now" portion of Saban's comments attracted the attention of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who was quick to point out he did not say "no for good" regarding a return to coaching. In short, it seems that rumors about Saban's future could hover over the college and pro football communities through at least the rest of the year.
The Boston Red Sox appear to have no interest in trading outfielder Jarren Duran, at least not in the near future. Trade rumors have swirled around Duran for most of the season, especially after designated hitter Rafael Devers was traded to the Giants. However, Sean McAdam from MassLive reported that the Red Sox may wait until the offseason before moving on from the former All-Star. The decision to wait on Duran is not due to a lack of offers. McAdam also reported that the Padres made a significant offer for Duran involving pitcher Dylan Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas and another unnamed prospect. That offer was quickly rejected. The Padres have long coveted Duran. McAdam had previously reported that the Padres have been "relentless" in their pursuit of the Red Sox outfielder. The reported trade offer including Salas, the Padres second-best prospect and the 21st-best prospect in baseball per MLB.com, illustrates how serious they are about acquiring Duran. Likewise, the Red Sox's refusal to entertain such an offer, even as a starting point for negotiations, speaks volumes about their interest in moving Duran. The Padres' offer would help solve several problems for the Red Sox in both the present and future. Moving Duran would help clear up the logjam in the outfield, while Cease and Salas would respectively improve the back of their rotation and provide a possible cornerstone behind the plate going forward. Duran is a valuable trade chip as he is under team control through 2028. He has also taken a step back in production from his stellar showing in 2024, posting a respectable .254/.321/.428 batting line in 459 plate appearances entering Friday, with nine homers and 25 doubles while stealing 16 bases. That production would be an upgrade for several teams looking to improve their outfield going forward. The question is whether or not the Red Sox will be realistic in their asking price for Duran. Considering how quickly the Padres' offer was reportedly rejected, that may not be the case.