Let us not forget that Bill Walton and Charles Barkley may simultaneously qualify for the most undeserved MVP's in NBA history. The fact that the two hold this dubious distinction may inform the masses of how their television personas have been forged. Casting shadows of doubt on the select stars of the game while berating the less apt players (a la the infernal Charley Rosen) is a mark of insecurity and fits the bill for two men well past their prime -- a prime in question even at the time when they played. May the basketball gods strike me down if I'm wrong about this. Charles Barkley should not have won the MVP award in 1993 and I can't help but be reminded of another Suns players with no defensive skills winning it this year. MVP-race-baiting aside, Walton and Barkley have made my basketball experience richer if even just to argue their inane points and to acknowledge the slivers of truth that sneak in between those. 

I once denounced Walton so vehemently for his commentary that I had to do research on just how a man could say the most improbable statements and still receive a handsome paystub. Bill Walton's stats indicate that his MVP was acquired in a slow year, despite prominent numbers in the rebounding and blocks category. His award came just after the ABA-NBA merger and the league may have grown tired of giving it to Kareem (much like the league grew tired of giving the MVP to MJ in his prime). For the record, Kareem averaged more points, blocks and rebounds. To be grouped with Kareem must have had a deleterious effect on Walton who never played the same thereafter. Injuries kept him limited to the bench in most of his late career, which he almost proudly reminds us of during in-game analysis. Thanks Bill.

CB34 was a bit more of the truth when he played. I caught a game on classic where he dropped 46 on a young CWebb in his Rookie Year. Chris Webber had all the makings of the next true forward and then Charles came to Golden State to delete all that. He dropped a smooth 46...in the first half. Chuck could wet the three, grab boards and post like no other small forward, which makes him bear comparison in my mind to Paul Pierce after him and Bird before him. The guy got on the boards like a beast no matter what his health or weight dictated. However, Charles' career was plagued by weight issues and effort issues. Think Antoine Walker after his skills depleted, relegated to outside shots and seemingly afraid of the backboard and inside play. 

This is all to say that both men have never truly been on the level of their great peers. Walton embraces the redheaded stepchild theory in other aspects of life by being an admitted Deadhead (read: pothead), absentee father and happy outcast. Barkley has found his lofty perch not in the political forum (where he once deigned to enter as a Republican) but by giving both anecdotes and invective a new name at TNT studios. I can't even count the number of players who have personally contacted Chuck to complain or have used an on-air slot to pick on him just the same. Doesn't it figure that these two men are the color commentators of our day, when government hypocrisy runs rampants and attention spans are as long as the time you take to read a blog or e-mail? They are soundbyte aficionados with enough savvy to understand how to reach a younger generation without compromising their own stubborn opinions. Holla if you feel me.