“He led them as far as Charles Barkley led a team”

Charles Barkley fired the latest salvo in his back-and-forth with Kevin Durant. The Hall of Famer recently called KD an “abject failure” for his stint with the OKC Thunder as the franchise player.

On “The Odd Couple” podcast, Chris Broussard pushed back on Barkley’s shot at Durant, which the Fox Sports analyst felt was out of bounds:

“To call his years in Oklahoma City an ‘abject failure’ is abject lunacy. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City to great heights. In fact, he led them as far as Charles Barkley led a team, which was to the finals.”

“I can’t go abject failure. I’ll go he [Durant] has yet to prove he can lead a team to a title. Karl Malone didn’t prove it. John Stockton didn’t prove it. Charles Barkley didn’t prove it. Allen Iverson didn’t prove it. None of us would call them abject failure.”

Like Kevin Durant, Charles Barkley went to the NBA Finals once in his career and lost on the NBA’s biggest stage. KD lost the 2012 title to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, Barkley failed against Michael Jordan’s Bulls in 1993.

Each of their MVP awards was won when they were playing in Oklahoma and Phoenix, respectively. Barkley went to Houston to team up with Hakeem Olajuwon and Scottie Pippen for one last chance at winning a championship. Durant, on the other hand, successfully won back-to-back titles with the Golden State Warriors after leaving the OKC Thunder.

The Houston Rockets had Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley AND Scottie Pippen in 1998-99, and yet they still lost in the first round of the playoffs.

The Houston Rockets had Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley AND Scottie Pippen in 1998-99, and yet they still lost in the first round of the playoffs. https://t.co/dAxad09y7O

Broussard’s point in naming a few NBA legends who led their teams to the finals but just couldn’t win was spot on. Allen Iverson, John Stockton and Karl Malone were never considered abject failures for not winning a title as franchise players.

Barkley doesn’t have a leg up on Durant as a franchise player failing to win the big one. To call KD’s stint in OKC an abject failure is also calling his Phoenix days the same thing. Barkley was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round six times in his career. Durant, when healthy, bounced out in the first round only once.

Charles Barkley called Kevin Durant “Mr. Miserable”

Trust Charles Barkley not to mince words when it comes to saying what was on his mind. He made the comments following Kevin Durant’s demand to be traded out of Brooklyn.

“He just seems like a miserable person, man. I call him ‘Mr. Miserable.’ He’s never going to be happy. Everybody’s given him everything on a silver platter. He was the man in Oklahoma City. They loved him. He owned the entire state.”

“He bolts on them and goes to the Warriors and wins back-to-back championships, and he’s still not happy. Then, he goes to Brooklyn. They give him everything he wants, and he’s still miserable. That’s why I call him ‘Mr. Miserable.’”

Kevin Durant still has four years remaining on his contract. If he’s truly as miserable as Barkley describes him to be, those four years could seem much longer, particularly if Kyrie Irving isn’t re-signed.