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TNT's Inside the NBA may be the best studio show in sports, and Charles Barkley is a huge (both literally and figuratively) reason why. Unfortunately for viewers at home, though, Barkley hopes to leave the show sometime soon, saying that he'd walk away from his career as a television pundit should the right opportunity in an NBA front office present itself.
"It's time for me to be a general manager," he told the Boston Globe. "I think everybody around me knows it's time for me to take a different challenge. ... I need to grow as a person and it's time for me. And certainly I can do a better job than some of these guys have been doing."
Barkley's desire to get back into the game (and his presumption that he can't do any worse) is hardly unique, but is he worth the risk? Even setting aside the whole public relations angle -- Barkley creates controversy everywhere he goes, whether it's because of his complete lack of filter when there's a microphone present or his gambling and drinking indiscretions -- I can't imagine a team ever putting Barkley into a position of power.
While Barkley's glib nature and willingness to poke fun at himself, his co-workers and the entire NBA makes for good TV, no one will ever accuse him of being the most prepared analyst on TV. In fact, his lack of knowledge about the league's non-marquee teams is often a running joke on the show, and stands in stark contrast to the sharp analysis from Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, his Inside cohorts.
For what it's worth, Barkley seems to know he's an underdog. "I want my chance to fail, just like everybody else," he said. But with so many former jocks having failed in front offices around the league, perhaps it's time for teams to learn from their mistakes.
There's so much more to being a successful general manager than simply talent evaluation (which Michael Jordan can tell you is harder than it looks), and a GM who fails to navigate the salary cap can set a franchise back for years (see: Thomas, Isiah).
In this day and age of arcane cap constraints and advanced playing statistics, it's time for more teams to realize that hiring a stat-head with a computer science degree and an MBA like Daryl Morey will likely offer a greater competitive advantage than a yet another former jock turned pundit.
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