Upset Barkley Mulls Retirement

Houston Rocket forward Charles Barkley, saying his young daughter was being harassed by schoolmates over his arrest in Orlando, Fla., last weekend, told several Houston reporters he is “leaning toward retirement” from basketball.

Barkley, who has missed two consecutive practices, was in Phoenix on Wednesday to consider his future with his wife, Maureen, and daughter, Christiana, according to reports.

Barkley also said he was upset that the NBA did not rule out suspending him for the Sunday incident in which he was charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest after allegedly throwing a bar patron through a window.

“Right now, I’m leaning toward retirement,” the 11-time NBA all-star told the Houston Chronicle. “If the league is not going to stand by me, then I’ll just . . . move on.”

Rocket spokesman Tim Frank said Barkley’s absence from practice was excused because of a family emergency.

NBA officials said in a conference call that the league would take no action against Barkley until there was some outcome in the Orlando case.

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Commissioner David Stern said the players’ union is trying to trade economic concessions for a policy covering the use of marijuana. The union countered by accusing Stern of courting public opinion as talks near over a new collective bargaining agreement.

“Frankly we have been unable to get the players’ association to address the issue,” Stern said via teleconference, adding he thought there was a verbal agreement two years ago to reopen the league’s substance-abuse policy, which has been in effect since 1984 and does not cover marijuana.

“What we’ve been hearing from them has been, ‘What economic consideration would you pass to us in order for us to agree to this issue?’ This is such a complete perversion of our previous relationship on this subject, and our specific understanding, that we’re dumbfounded by the approach.”

In a statement, Billy Hunter, players’ association director, said: Stern “has misstated our discussions by claiming that we have insisted on economic concessions in return for altering the drug policy. The policy is one very important part of a broad collective bargaining agreement. We are willing to negotiate issues pertaining to our drug policy in the context of a variety of non-economic and economic issues.”

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The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Wesley Person to a contract modification and extension, team spokesman Bob Zink said.

Terms were not disclosed.

The 6-foot-6 guard-forward, whom the Cavaliers acquired along with Tony Dumas in a three-way trade with Phoenix and Denver on Oct. 1, had a team-high scoring average of 15.3 during the preseason.

Person, 26, a first-round draft pick out of Auburn in 1994, averaged 13.5 points last year for Phoenix. He is a career 40.7% three-point shooter.