Charles Barkley wasn't shy about saying he wouldn't give Kyrie Irving a contract extension if he were the Nets – and in the same media scrum for his charity golf tournament appearance, Barkley also wasn't shy about his thoughts on the Nets' failures in the Kevin Durant era affecting KD's legacy.
"You know it does," Barkley said Wednesday during a media call.
Durant has received criticism for both going to the Warriors and his role in Golden State's success from 2016-19, up to and including the notion that he needed to go somewhere with other superstars to win a title (or, in this case, two) – and that holds water in a way, given that the Warriors went to five straight finals (two before KD, three after) and won three titles, including one without Durant, so they were clearly a dynasty in the making before his arrival.
Barkley isn't speaking on that, but when it comes to the Durant/Irving era in Brooklyn, well, they're going to need to win one together to quell the notion.
"If you go back and look, and I've talked about it, LeBron has said it before that he to win a championship without Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh," Barkley said, referencing the Cavaliers' 2016 title that came with Kyrie in tow, and beat the Warriors the year before KD arrived. "And, Kobe has said it before – Rest in Peace – that he had to win without Shaq. So Kevin and Kyrie, before we elevate them among the old guys, they're not going to get the credit they deserve until they win a championship by themselves and be The Guy."
In the two seasons since Durant returned to the court after his Achilles injury, the Nets have lost to Milwaukee in seven games in the Eastern semifinals, and then were swept by Boston in the first round this year, amassing a playoff record of 7-9 overall.
And until that changes, KD and Kyrie are going to catch heat.
"We grade harshly, and rightfully so, but this ain't got nothing to do with the media, or the fans – this has 100 percent to do with your peers," Barkley said. "We're going to judge you on that. People are going to get mad, and they can tweet at me and whatever they want to, but that's just the standard. When you jump on somebody else's boat and win, we don't count that. You got to be the driver of the boat or the bus. Simple."
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