As the inaugural NBA in-season tournament arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday for its semifinals and eventual championship game, the ESPN and TNT NBA desks briefly merged to form their own superteam. TNT had its normal cast of characters with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson. ESPN’s side featured regulars Stephen A. Smith, Malika Andrews, and Michael Wilbon, and also Bob Myers, the former Golden State Warriors executive who left the team after last season.
The crossover between the two sides produced one hilarious moment when Barkley shared an exchange with Myers on the slow start the Warriors are having without him this season.
Barkley yelled to Myers that he deserved credit “jumping off the Titanic before it sunk.” Myers gave a little nervous laughter and then said he still had friends over there. Barkley, with perfect comedic timing, said those friends would soon be joining him on the outside of the league. Watch the clip here:
Charles Barkley: “I wanna give you credit for jumping off the titanic before it sunk.”
Bob Myers: “I have friends over there.”
Chuck: “Yeah? You’re going to see them soon!”
Dubs; Warriors pic.twitter.com/QuR7sZuaFa
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) December 8, 2023
Barkley remains as funny as ever. As the Warriors currently sit outside of the play-in race at 10-11 overall, Chuck roasted Golden State without seeming like a jerk to Myers. His punchlines and his timing were immaculate.
Of course, Myers had a lot to do with the Warriors downfall even if he jumped ship early. The Warriors whiffed on two lottery picks that could have set the team up for another dynasty. Their selection of James Wiseman at No. 2 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft was obviously terrible at the time, and it looks even worse now with Tyrese Haliburton, who fell to No. 12, emerging as one of the best players in the NBA. The Warriors should also regret taking Jonathan Kuminga over Franz Wagner in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Myers spoke about Golden State’s meeting with Haliburton and the decision to pass on him during the broadcast.
It sounds like Myers seriously considered Haliburton. LaMelo Ball would have been another great option. Wiseman is now long gone and will go down as one of the biggest busts of the decade. At least the Warriors still won a championship in 2022, or this would look even worse.
There have always been reports of ownership interference with the Wiseman pick. Either way, the Warriors’ reign looks like it’s about to be finished. Myers knew when it was time to jump ship.
