'I'm a good, solid player'
Barkley reflects on his future and the NBA lockout
Posted: Saturday August 22, 1998 09:11 PM
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While Barkley knows the importance of keeping fan interest during a labor disupte, he fears little for a fan fallout Andy Lyons/Allsport |
LEXINGTON, Kentucky (AP) -- As the NBA endures its third labor dispute
in four years, Charles
Barkley is gearing up for what could be his last go-round.
The veteran free agent is recovering from surgery to repair two hernias
and a torn tricep but said he is ready for another year. Doctors could
clear Barkley for workouts as soon as Labor Day.
"I'm a good, solid player," he said. "I'm not a great player anymore,
but I'm solid. I finished third in the league in rebounding last year, and
I feel like I can do it again without those two hernias, so I'm
excited."
Barkley talked about the ongoing lockout and his future Saturday after
a round of golf at the Central Baptist Hospital Charity Classic in
Lexington, a Celebrity Players Tour event.
"I'm a little concerned about the season starting on time, but I'm not
over-concerned right now," he said. "A lockout doesn't mean anything in
August or September. Training camp starts in October."
While Barkley acknowledges the importance of keeping fan interest, he
fears little for a baseball-like fan fallout, he said. Right now, he said,
the focus is economics.
"I don't think anybody ever wants to go on strike, but it's not just
the fans, the players too," he said. "You can't put the fans in the
forefront, because we as players want to make as much money as we can in a
short period of time, and that's what the owners want also."
Barkley talked with six or seven teams before the lockout and said he
would only leave Houston if he felt the Rockets couldn't compete for a
championship.
In order to make staying an option, he said, management must pursue
top-shelf free-agent talent.
"If the right situation does not come along, I'm not going to play,"
Barkley said. "I hope the right situation comes along."
For now, though, Barkley is keeping his options open and being patient,
he said.
"There are five or six teams that told me not to sign until I talked
with them, and I'm going to be very patient, and I'm going to go to the
best team possible, because the only goal I have now to accomplish is to
win a championship," he said.
"That's my only goal, even if I have to sign for the minimum or the
million-dollar exemption. I don't care about money at this stage of my
life. I have enough money, but I would love to win a championship."
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