This headline is one of those Fox News types where you can say anything as long as you put a question mark at the end. It can be used to say and question anything. For example:
Is Kim Kardashian cheating on Kris Humphries with Alexis Ajinca?
See, I’m not saying she is, just questioning whether she might be. Nevermind that the chance of that happening is zero, simply raising the question gets the thought rolling in your head. Could she be? Is Ajinca actually capable of it?
In much the same vein of story, a forum member speculated Charles becoming a GM, based on the interest he’s shown in interviews and on his TNT show.
What would having Charles be the GM mean? He doesn’t like pussies, so a lot of the Raptors (you know who you are) would see the door. We’d be on TNT a lot more and the increased exposure would serve the team good. Basketball-wise, things can’t get much worse right now, we currently have a 181-221 (45%) record under Colangelo, and that’s after years of trying to win in an uncompetitive Eastern conference.
Is Charles good enough to be a GM? Probably not, I can’t see the guy cancelling Florida vacations to go scouting players in the mid-west. I’m not saying Colangelo actually does those things either, just that Charles’ lifestyle isn’t exactly conducive to hard work at this point in his life. His plan would be to get people around him (hopefully not his buddies) who share the same philosophy as him – interior play, rebounding, defense, efficiency, hard work and commitment to the cause.
Colangelo was brought in to Toronto for one reason alone – he was a big name who gave the franchise some credibility. Over the years, his star has faded with the basketball product showing little signs of improvement, failed free-agent signings, the bumbling of the Chris Bosh situation, etc. If the thinking at the higher-ups at MLSE is to inject the Raptors with a new sense of enthusiasm while getting some attention around the NBA, what is so wrong with Charles Barkley?
Larry Bird got a chance in Indiana, Michael Jordan got his with the Wizards, Isiah Thomas with the Raptors, Kevin McHale with the Timberwolves, these were big time players whose reputation a team just couldn’t ignore when trying to fill their GM vacancy. There’s going to be a team that will give Charles a chance, if for nothing then based on his name and under the condition that he make clear who his apprentices will be. Why not the Raptors?
How could he possibly perform any worse t han Colangelo? Talent with potential on the Raptors: DeRozan, Davis and Johnson. Talent that has reached its ceiling: Bargnani. Those are the “building blocks” under Colangelo with potentially another rookie being added this draft. That’s after four years at the helm, at least when Babcock traded Vince Carter for trash he had some kind of “insurance” in Chris Bosh, what do the Raptors have? DeRozan? Sure, he could turn out to be a good player, but so can Nick Young.
So Charles, if you’re considering a GM job, give a call to the Raptors, here’s some reasons why you’ll love it. If you fail, it doesn’t matter. We’ll hand you a contract extension as long as Maple Leaf condos are getting sold and Real Sports Bar is doing business. From the Raptors perspective, give Charles a call only because he’s actually going to fill up seats faster than Colangelo. And that for you is the bottom line.
Enjoy your weekend.
