Charles Barkley Says He Wants To Become An NBA General Manager

Barkley Discusses Front-Office Aspirations With Letterman During "Late Show" Visit

TNT's Charles Barkley "has a serious desire to enter NBA management, and wants" to be a GM, according to Gary Washburn of the BOSTON GLOBE. Barkley: "It's time for me to be a general manager. I think everybody around me knows it's time for me to take a different challenge. ... And certainly I can do a better job than some of these guys have been doing." But Washburn wrote the question is whether an organization "would take a chance on hiring a legendary player with a questionable track record, including a recent DUI arrest that led to a leave of absence from TNT" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/25). Barkley Monday appeared on CBS' "Late Show," and David Letterman asked him if he would ever want to run his own franchise. Barkley: "I think that's my next challenge for me. I love TV. It's fun, but I think I want to try. I could do a better job than some of these other slugs" ("Late Show," CBS, 10/26).

DIFFERENT BALLGAME: ESPN's Tony Kornheiser: "I think he can be a good GM, but it's different. Now Charles Barkley only speaks for himself. He's going to have to convince an owner that whatever problems he may have had with a DUI, with gambling, that they no longer exist because you've got to speak for the whole team" ("PTI," ESPN, 10/26). FanHouse.com's Jay Mariotti: "A team that needs life and vitality, a team down in the dumps maybe that needs to sell tickets, I think Charles would be a good pick. Now a couple of things have to happen -- he can't be gambling anymore in that position and he's got to work at it real hard and not party the way he does now. But you know what? He would work at it." But L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said, "You say he'll work the long hours. I don't know that he will. ... I don't know if Charles wants to put in the effort that it takes to do this" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 10/27). ESPN's Michelle Beadle said the "work ethic involved with being an NBA general manager is with salaries and caps and who should I trade and who should we keep. There's a big work ethic problem that I don't know that he necessarily would bring to the table" ("SportsNation," ESPN, 10/26).