Charles Barkley Thinks The Warriors Are Done: "Old People Just Get Older, They Don't Get Better"

The Golden State Warriors have struggled in this 2023-24 season, and Charles Barkley says they are done. On Inside the NBA, the Hall of Famer dismissed the Warriors' chances of contending for the title and stated they are just too old now.

“One thing I know about old people, they just get older, they don’t get better," Barkley said. "Sports are a young people’s game and Klay (Thompson), as much as I love Klay, he’s past his prime. Same thing with (Draymond Green). That’s why they’re gonna be streaky and Steph (Curry) usually could cover it up, but he can’t anymore because he’s starting to wear down."

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Barkley stated earlier that he said years ago that if the likes of James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga didn't turn into key contributors, then the Warriors were done. He still has some hope for Kuminga, but believes the Warriors should have been giving him extended minutes much earlier. 

Barkley initially said they wouldn't even make the playoffs, but eventually changed his stance to them not being a contender. With the way the Warriors are constructed at present, I'd agree with him.

Barkley made these comments at halftime of their game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. It seemed as if Golden State would make the 60-year-old eat his words when they had an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter, but they stunningly blew it. The Nuggets roared back to win 130-127, to drop the Warriors to 16-18 on the season.

As Barkley said, they're going to be a streaky team as they just can't maintain the level of consistency they once had. This season, the Warriors have had two separate five-game winning streaks, but they have had a six-game losing streak as well. This loss to the Nuggets also meant they have now lost four of their last five.

All of this is despite Stephen Curry averaging 27.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game this season. Curry has not been very consistent recently, though, which isn't surprising, as he's 35 years old. You just can't expect him to carry a team on a nightly basis.

A step in the right direction for the Warriors would be to trade for a reliable secondary scorer, who can cover for Curry during his off nights. Unless they do that, I don't see them contending for the title in 2023-24.

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Barkley Says The Scariest Team In The West Is The Clippers

Barkley doesn't hold the Warriors in very high regard but there is a team in the Pacific Division that he thinks very highly of. The 11-time All-Star said the Los Angeles Clippers are the scariest team in the West.

“The scariest team in the West is the Los Angeles Clippers," Barkley said. "... Kawhi Leonard is amazing. If he’s healthy, he’s one of the five best basketball players in the world.”

Barkley says Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 24.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game this season, is playing as well as anybody right now. He also thinks the Clippers would have beaten the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs last season with a healthy Leonard, and they certainly could have.

At the end of the day, everything for the Clippers comes down to Leonard's health. They're a good team even without him, thanks to the James Harden trade, but can only be serious contenders if he's healthy. The 21-12 Clippers have won 13 of their last 15 games, and both losses in that time came in games that he missed.

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