Charles Barkley rips NBA Cup, suggests in-season tournament functions as player cash grab

The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA title last night, and they’re the 7th different champion in the past 7 seasons. Colin Cowherd says that we’ve entered a new era of NBA Basketball, and that the Thunder could be the league’s next dynasty.

The New York Knicks haven't won an NBA title since the early 1970s. It has also been more than a quarter-century since the franchise won the Eastern Conference and advanced to the NBA Finals.

On Tuesday night, the Knicks took the court in Las Vegas to compete for an NBA title — of sorts. The Knicks met the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas for the third iteration of the NBA Cup, the league's rebranded in-season tournament.

While some players and coaches have praised the emerging concept, Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA analyst Charles Barkley remains unconvinced.

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College basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

"I think the cup thing is somewhat embarrassing," Barkley said during a guest appearance on the "Tom Tolbert Show" during a discussion about the NBA Cup. Barkley also expressed angst over the series' reliance on prize money as a means to compel players to prioritize regular-season games.

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"I’m disappointed that we have to make an in-season tournament to make these guys more money so they won’t do load management." The NBA has implemented rules to try to discourage teams from sitting otherwise healthy players due to load management. 

A player now must appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for coveted individual awards such as the NBA MVP.

A general view