Where would Prime Charles Barkley rank today?

[Popi]

Charles was just as much a freak of nature in his younger days as Shaq and LeBron are. To be that short and fat but to be able to lead the fast break and also with the ability to dunk on you at will along with a superior post game is something we will probably never see again. And with the focus on defense now when evaluating a player these days I think Chuck would be even better in this era then he was then. Cause I think he would focus on it more with all the armchair critics who would give him shyt for it.

I def agree Barkley would be a better defender in this era where defense is something the superstars take more pride in overall. He led the league in rebounding @ 6'4....(SIX F'N FOUR!) just by wanting the ball more than the next man. His flaws on the defensive side of the ball were more a result of his lack of interest in being a good defender than lack of ability.

Def Top 5 in today's NBA at LEAST.

 

[Schmoove]

You nikkas always complaining about the new generation overrating players, when yall do the EXACT same thing.

80s/90s era was harder to play in.

This new age league ain't nothin but fakkitry. On and off the court.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

80s/90s era was harder to play in.

This new age league ain't nothin but fakkitry. On and off the court.

You wanna talk about fakkitry? Ain't this the poster batty boy of the 80s?

 

[Jplaya2023]

Only saying Charles Barkley will be the first to tell you Charles Barkley was not a good defender.

name me someone who was aleast 5-6 inches shorter on average than his peers at his position that was an excellent defender.

 

[Eternal Tecate]

3rd

 

[LebronsHairline]

You're talking about 2012 right? Chuck points would have been cancelled out or exceeded by LeBron,

To bad basketball doesn't work that way

 

[drewbreez]

name me someone who was aleast 5-6 inches shorter on average than his peers at his position that was an excellent defender.

Someone in this era? Tony Allen comes to mind. Excellent defender, frequently over-matched...always finishes top 5 in DPOY voting. I came up watching the Barkley era...respect his game tremendously but the only thing that he would be able to use to stay on the court with guys in THIS era is his incredible vertical leap. He used that and timing to be a monstrous rebounder. Otherwise, it would be very tough on him to guard guys who are typically taller now, shoot better from distance and handle the ball at 6'8 and above with skill. He birthed a lot of that, but it woulda been damm near impossible for him to guard. I think he would be something like a prime Paul Pierce in this league...maybe grab him one ring off toughness. But very hard to stay in the top 5 with guys like Kobe, Bron, Durant, Melo, TD, Dirk. The league is stacked now. In his prime era, it was nowhere near the talent level, though those guys were all tough as nails.

 

[dem bath salts]

To bad basketball doesn't work that way

Yeah cuz the great defender known as barkely was going to influence that series in other ways than offfensively. Especially against a prime LeBron

 

[nieman]

Someone in this era? Tony Allen comes to mind. Excellent defender, frequently over-matched...always finishes top 5 in DPOY voting. I came up watching the Barkley era...respect his game tremendously but the only thing that he would be able to use to stay on the court with guys in THIS era is his incredible vertical leap. He used that and timing to be a monstrous rebounder. Otherwise, it would be very tough on him to guard guys who are typically taller now, shoot better from distance and handle the ball at 6'8 and above with skill. He birthed a lot of that, but it woulda been damm near impossible for him to guard. I think he would be something like a prime Paul Pierce in this league...maybe grab him one ring off toughness. But very hard to stay in the top 5 with guys like Kobe, Bron, Durant, Melo, TD, Dirk. The league is stacked now. In his prime era, it was nowhere near the talent level, though those guys were all tough as nails.

The 90s were the best era of basketball. Players had similar athleticism to the players of today, but exponentially better in skill. You can jump of the gym, 7' tall but can't grab 10 rebounds per block 1 shot? This goes for Lebron as well. And the midrange is damn near extinct.

Barkley would easily be Top 5 player...hell, all of his peers would be viewed better than most (97%) of today's league.