Charles Barkley Questions Whether Steph Curry Could Handle Detroit Pistons ‘Bad Boys’

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Former NBA legend Charles Barkley has never been short of a word or two. That’s true of his time on the court during an epic 16-year career as well as his post-playing career as a pundit, and now he’s had a few things to say about Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, chiefly about whether the four-time NBA champion could have handled the game in his day.

In a recent interview on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Barkley, who never quite managed to secure an NBA title ring but was an 11-time NBA All-Star pick and the NBA MVP for 1993, has talked up the physical nature of the game during the late 80s and early 90s and specifically whether stars from today, in particular Curry, would be able to take the pumps and bruises that came with the territory.

On that subject, Barkley stated on The Bill Simmons Podcast:

"Can you imagine if the Bad Boys were beating the hell out of him? 

"Bill, can you imagine that? As much as I love Steph Curry, if you think that he could take those blows that John Salley, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, those body checks that they were putting on Michael [Jordan] and Scottie [Pippen] and myself and guys like that, you really think Steph Curry wouldn't break?"

This specifically relates to the "Bad Boy Pistons" that represented the Detroit Pistons in this era, during which the team made it through to three successive NBA Finals, winning against both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers while losing another to Los Angeles. 

If you are a Pistons fan who harks back to those days and thinks the team can get back to those heights, then you might want to check out these Michigan online sportsbooks to find those brands that will offer you the best payouts. 

It is worth remembering, though, that in the last 14 seasons, the Pistons have made it to the postseason just twice, losing in the First Round on both occasions in shocking fashion, falling in four games to both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks.

To be clear, Curry is rightly considered one of the best to have ever played the game, and no doubt, fans of the Golden State Warriors won’t be all that pleased with Barkley’s comments, which are, of course, entirely subjective and impossible to disprove. 

Such comments do, however, lead to interesting conversations as to how the game has changed over the years. Obviously, in the 80s and early 90s, the game was more physical, but Curry is such a legendary NBA star that it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t still shine in an alternate reality where he’s lining up in that heyday period.

We are, after all, talking about a player who has hit more three-pointers than anyone else in the history of the NBA, and that number, for those who are not keeping track, is an astonishing 3390. 

Quite a lot of what Barkley says and does is for effect, and that’s kind of par for the course when it comes to pundits these days, and to be fair to Charles, he’s earned the right to speak his mind, and he is, at the very least, a hugely entertaining character in the game who no doubt means no ill when he makes such comments, which do indeed generate much debate.

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