Barkley Offers Own Bar-Bash Story
The Chuckster says there are a few discrepancies with what reportedly happened in that bar in Orlando, where he had a physical confrontation with a 20-year-old man.
What was reported was that Jorge Lugo threw a drink on Rockets forward Charles Barkley, after which Barkley chased down Lugo and threw him through the front window. Barkley reportedly stood over him on the sidewalk outside the bar and told him, “You can die for all I care.”
Chuckles says what really happened was that after Lugo chucked a drink on him, he ran about 15 yards to catch up to Lugo, then pushed him into the window.
Barkley said that Lugo never actually fell down, but that the window broke when he pushed Lugo into it.
“Cheap windows,” Barkley quipped. “By the time this whole thing is reported, I’ll have thrown the guy from a second-floor window.”
After threatening to retire if the NBA punished him, Barkley has since met with the league and by mutual agreement has decided to take along a bodyguard when he ventures out into public.
“Let’s face it,” Barkley said. “I pay more taxes than these other guys put together. Any American who pays taxes should be able to go out to a bar without getting a drink thrown on him.”
The Chuckster added one more little tidbit that has not been widely reported. After the incident happened, an attorney came up to Barkley and told him he saw the whole thing, he thought Barkley was provoked and he would be happy to represent him in case he was sued.
Barkley declined. That same attorney is now representing Lugo.
Changes will wait
Sonics coach George Karl said that he has ignored any knee-jerk reaction by making drastic changes to the offense for two simple reasons: Arvydas Sabonis and Shawn Bradley.
Sabonis is the Portland Trail Blazers’ 7-foot-3, 295-pound center and Bradley is Dallas’ 7-6 center who appears to weigh about 112 pounds. Karl thinks it is no coincidence that they have been the two centers the Sonics have faced and Seattle’s shooting percentage is less than 41 percent.
“Sabonis and Bradley are the two biggest guys in basketball, and we’ve never been great against shot-blockers,” Karl said. “Let me look at a few of these other teams without a shot-blocking mentality and see how we do before I make any changes.”
Add Barkley
Karl and Barkley are good friends, and often the two get together - usually with Karl’s family.
“My wife knows better than to let me go out with him by myself,” Karl said.
Karl and Barkley also are close, he feels, because they have the same anti-establishment approach, although Karl said he has toned down his comments with age - and he has advised Barkley to do the same.