Charles Barkley had the opportunity to do one of his favorite things during TNT’s NBA preview conference call on Tuesday: Rip the Knicks.
The Hall of Fame forward poked fun at the Knicks adding veterans Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd and Rasheed Wallace this offseason.
“If it was 2000, I would make the New York Knicks the favorite to win the NBA championship,” said Barkley, who has repeatedly — and correctly — bashed the Knicks’ title chances since they became a playoff contender two years ago.
Barkley is a much bigger fan of what the Nets did this offseason: Trading for Joe Johnson, re-signing Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries.
“I love what they’ve done in Brooklyn. I take my hat off to Avery [Johnson] and Billy King. The Brooklyn Nets are the best team in New York,” Barkley said.
The Nets and Knicks square off in both teams preseason finale on Wednesday night at Nassau Coliseum. They will open the regular season against each other at the Barclays Center on Nov. 1.
The other analysts on the call were split on the Nets-Knicks rivalry.
“The Knicks will always have the bragging rights. Brooklyn, they have a very exciting team. It’s going to be a great rivalry and I’m going to have to give the edge to Brooklyn this year,” Shaquille O’Neal said.
“There has to be something said about experience. To have a future Hall of Famer – as your leader – in Jason Kidd, that’s great. The Knicks are a slight favorite over the Nets. Having Carmelo [Anthony] on your team and Tyson Chandler controlling the paint, I give the Knicks a slight edge,” Reggie Miller said.