NBA Hall of Fame star and analyst Charles Barkley of Inside the NBA joined The Rich Eisen Show last Friday where he discussed a range of topics such as the uncertainty around the Golden State Warriors, how the Houston Rockets should approach the offseason and how the Western Conference is shaking up once again in the aftermath of Toronto’s NBA title victory.

He also took some time to shout out the Portland Trail Blazers.

In the interview, Barkley gets started talking about how teams should approach the summer and the construction of their rosters and elaborates from there. The Trail Blazers shoutout starts around the three minute mark of the video provided above.

Barkley: “... that’s what’s going to be really fascinating about this summer. All these teams, instead of doing their job like Masai Ujiri, drafting well, getting your players better and making a trade ... all these teams put their money into trying to poach somebody’s free agents in the offseason. It’s going to be really funny when all these teams have all this money and they’re sitting around like idiots when they don’t get those free agents. I’m going to be laughing at them and their fanbase, because I don’t think that’s a good way to win. Trying to suck as a team, clear cap space and hope you can get two big-time free agents. That, to me, is not a good business plan.”

Eisen then asks Barkley about the Rockets losing to the Warriors deep in the playoffs once again and what Houston GM Daryl Morey should do with his team now that there is some uncertainty about whether or not the Golden State can keep their vaunted core together. Should they stand pat?

Barkley: “No [the Rockets] should not [stand pat]. If I had to pick a team that I would say is going to be good, it’s the Portland Trail Blazers. They let me down against Golden State, but when they get Nurkic back next year, and if they’re able to keep Kanter and Hood, they got one of the most talented teams in the NBA. When the Blazers went out and got Kanter and Hood, I picked them to come out of the west and I was wrong, obviously, but right now... look, The Denver Nuggets might be right there. I think Portland right now [is there].”

— Tim Brown, The Oregonian/OregonLive | @timfsbrown

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