Charles Barkley rants over Michael Jordan’s plague-like impact after Cooper Flagg comparisons

After tearing it up for Duke in their NCAA March Madness run, Cooper Flagg has been compared with Michael Jordan.

Charles Barkley rants over Michael Jordan’s plague-like impact after Cooper Flagg comparisons

Cooper Flagg comparisons to Michael Jordan irk Charles Barkley

NCAA March Madness is underway and in the men’s tournament, all eyes are on Cooper Flagg. The Duke sensation powered his team to an Elite Eight berth. If he can lead them to a championship, comparisons with Michael Jordan are going to be a common topic of discussion.

His 6′ 9″ frame as well his skill set already had basketball fans hyped. Then his exploits playing for the Team USA practice squad against the greats of the game gave further proof that the then teenager was going to be a spectacle in the NBA.

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During his freshman season with Duke, he had several standout displays. But the most recent one in the round of Sweet Sixteen saw him finish with 30 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks. Those statistics fueled comparisons with Michael Jordan. But Charles Barkley believes the comparison is not helping matters.

I hate when guys on television try to compare him. I think Michael Jordan has killed more people than the plague. They’re like ‘This guy’s the next Michael Jordan’. He won’t turn out to be Michael Jordan. This kid is really talented, he’s really smart.

Charles Barkley said

The Hall of Famer went on to add that Cooper Flagg has lived up to the hype. There was tremendous pressure on him to live up to expectations, and he has so far proved his is phenomenal. But to compare him to Jordan is insulting to both the NBA legend as well as the Duke standout.

Sweet Sixteen matchup proved Cooper Flagg is built for big moments

Host Dan Patrick asked Charles Barkley what he took away from Duke’s game against the Arizona Wildcats. There are a lot of rumors about the Hall of Famer not watching enough games. But this time, he had noted everything and said this.

He dominated the game last night with his passing. He scored a good amount of points, but his passing was the difference in the game. Every time they needed something he made the play. That was probably their first big moment. He stepped up man, it was beautiful to watch.

Charles Barkley said

Barkley believes this game was the best scouting report any NBA team needs to look into. They saw how Cooper Flagg dominated under pressure. There was a time when the Arizona Wildcats looked like they would upset the Duke Blue Devils. But Flagg ensured they were in with a chance to win it.

Now there is a certain level of doubt whether the 18-year-old will declare for the NBA draft this season. He has stated that he loves it at Duke and has a certain chemistry going. There are two possibilities that can impact his decision.

If they end up winning the NCAA Championship, there is a chance Flagg might declare. But he could also stay back and think of running it back again. Teams tanking in the NBA are hoping it is the former and NBA fans hope to see him in the league next season.

Charles Barkley directs expletives towards NCAA over transfer portal

One of the sticking points of this season’s NCAA March Madness has been the sheer number of players entering the transfer portal. Most of those entries have come when the tournament is in progress. Charles Barkley had some choice words for the NCAA for allowing this to unfold.

It’s already out of hand with the transfer portal. The NCAA, they are the most stupid, idiotic jack***es in the world. They’ve already ruined college sports with the NIL thing. But to have the transfer portal in the middle of March Madness got to be the one of the stupidest things I have seen in my life.

Charles Barkley said

The Round Mound of Rebound has already stated his stance on NIL. Now to allow players to enter the transfer portal in the middle of March Madness has made college basketball look bad. He believes every year is going to be a free agency without a salary cap. That will destroy college basketball’s spirit.