A Kinder, Gentler Barkley Heads Into NBA Playoffs

Listen to Charles Barkley talk and it seems he would rather be playing for the New York Knicks than the Philadelphia 76ers, two teams that are playing in a first-round best-of-five NBA playoff series.

“They play the way I’d like to play one day,” Barkley said of the Knicks when it became apparent the two teams would tangle in the first round of the NBA playoffs. “I like their style where you have a lot of talent and you just run and gun. I wouldn’t want to trap as much as they do. But I’m a firm believer in, ‘Hey, let’s just go out and run-and-gun and have fun and enjoy the game.’ ”

Of Knicks Coach Rick Pitino, Barkley said, “I like him a lot. He’s like (76ers coaches) Jimmy Lynam and Fred Carter. Those are the kind of guys you can go to war with. Those are the kind of guys you can go out and have a beer with, and if a guy starts a fight with you, you know you aren’t by yourself. I respect guys like that a lot, and I’m very selective as to whom I have a lot of respect for.”

Kind words coming from someone considered among the most relentless and intimidating players in the NBA. Then again, this has been a kinder, gentler season for Barkley. It’s been far different from the 1987-88 campaign, when he often played on the brink of explosion, received 30 technical fouls for salty language and publicly ridiculed his teammates.

These days, Barkley can flatter foes because he’s happy with his environment, happy with his teammates and happy with his life. “He’s really what I’d call a teddy bear,” said rookie guard Scott Brooks, who lived with Barkley for the first three weeks of the season. “On the court he’s a monster, a big, macho tough guy who’s a dominating player. But off the court he’s as kind as any other person.”

The same couldn’t be said several months ago when Barkley was enduring his most troubling off-season since turning pro in 1984. Though Barkley ranked among the top six in scoring (28.3), rebounding (11.9) and field-goal percentage (.587) in 1987-88, the 76ers tumbled to a 36-46 record. It was the club’s fewest victories since 1974-75 and ended a streak of playoff appearances that began in 1975-76.

A frustrated Barkley became vocal about the lack of supporting talent on the club, calling some of his teammates “wimps, whiners and complainers.”

He started another fire during the playoffs when he told a national TV audience that he expected to be traded to the Clippers. The 76ers admit there were some preliminary discussions, but nothing more.

Things got more troublesome Aug. 17 when Barkley was arrested in New Jersey for illegal possession of a loaded handgun. A state trooper spotted the gun when she searched his black 1988 Porsche after pulling him over for speeding on the Atlantic City Expressway.

Barkley, who contends the incident was overblown, had a permit to carry the gun in Pennsylvania but not in New Jersey. He was released on his own recognizance, and the charges were eventually dropped Sept. 19 when a judge ruled that the car had been searched illegally.

Then there was the problem with his finances. Barkley ordered an audit of his investments after two Newsday articles last April linked his agent, Lance Jay Luchnick of San Antonio, Texas, to payments to high school and college coaches. Reportedly, $200,000 of Barkley’s money is unaccounted for, and he is in the process of switching agents.

“It was a nightmare,” Barkley said of the incidents. “I had three devastating things happen. I had an audit of my investments, I heard the rumors about me being traded to the Clippers, and I had the thing with the gun. With all three I was really distressed.”

Whatever bad memories existed at the beginning of the season have been replaced with the pleasure he’s gotten from watching his team develop into a 46-36 playoff qualifier. The acquisition of forward Ron Anderson from Indiana and the emergence of rookie Hersey Hawkins have helped take some pressure off Barkley, who has become adept at drawing a double team and passing to the open man.

“It was brutal on me last year, trying to score 30 points and get 15 rebounds a night,” he said. “That’s impossible. Five or six times I played the entire game. It was like going to war with a BB gun. This year, we’ve got better players who can produce.”

It’s almost a given that Barkley will produce. His numbers this year are worthy of MVP consideration. He was eighth in the league in scoring with a 25.8 average, tied for second in rebounding (12.5) and second in field-goal percentage at .579. All this from a guy who at 6-5, 245 pounds is considered undersized for a power forward, despite his tree-trunk legs and vise-like hands.

He’s just 26, but the constant pounding underneath the glass is taking its toll. “I haven’t played as well as I would have liked to because of the nagging injuries,” said Barkley, whose back has bothered him for most of the season. “I feel like for the first time in my life, I’m going to have to do something to restructure my body. I think I’m going to have to start lifting weights and maybe play at 235 (pounds) next year. These guys are getting stronger and I’m getting older. I used to get by them with quickness. But now they’re so strong, it takes away from me sometimes.”

Barkley’s stats speak for themselves, but his value to the 76ers extends beyond what he does on the court. He leads his team by example.

“Charlie doesn’t miss practices and he doesn’t miss games and he doesn’t miss flights,” Carter, an assistant coach, said. “So from those intangibles, that’s positive leadership. Some so-called superstars miss flights or they say they can’t play today because ‘my ankle hurts’ or ‘my toenail hurts.’ But Charlie’s here every night. Sometimes he’s not as spectacular as always, but he’s there, and that’s important.”

One appointment Barkley is hoping to keep is to be at his wife’s side when she gives birth to their first child. The baby is due within the next seven days and Barkley hopes the arrival won’t conflict with a playoff game. “Hopefully, things will work out,” said Barkley, who has added Lamaze classes to his busy schedule.

He and his wife, Maureen, were married in a private ceremony Feb. 9 during the All-Star break. Though he’s anxious about the pregnancy -- there have been at least two false alarms, he said -- Barkley has tried not to let it affect his game. “Those things happen,” he said. “I still have to play well.”

His $13 million contract runs through 1993-94, and Barkley plans to retire when it expires. Before he leaves, he’d like to earn a championship ring. To do that, he says, the club needs to add a true power forward to give him more freedom to operate along the perimeter.

But that doesn’t mean he’s conceding anything to the Knicks, a team he’s averaged 30.8 points and 11.3 rebounds against in their six meetings this season.

“It’s going to be a great series and I’m excited for it,” he said.

Then he paused for a moment to imagine the raucous atmosphere, boos and taunts that will greet him at the Garden. “In New York on a Thursday night. I’d better get my bullet-proof vest ready,” he said, smiling slyly. “This is going to be fun.”