Barkley still skeptical of Warriors, even with Durant

STATELINE, Nev. — Not much has changed for Charles Barkley. He smacked several shots straight and true on the practice range Friday at Edgewood Tahoe — and then shanked his tee shot on No. 1 (and his mulligan, too).

Barkley also remains relentlessly skeptical of the Warriors, even with Kevin Durant in the fold.

This comes as no surprise, given Barkley’s history of bashing a team reliant on outside shooting. The Warriors will lean on their perimeter game even more next season, with Durant joining Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to form a potent trio.

Barkley, before he teed off in the opening round of the American Century Championship, insisted Durant will not solve Golden State’s essential challenge.

“Kevin changes the whole dynamic,” Barkley said. “But you’ve still got to rebound and play defense. That’s the key.”

Barkley realizes he’s in Warriors country on his annual visits to South Lake Tahoe. But he finds the good-natured grief from Warriors fans a bit muted this year in the wake of the team’s loss to Cleveland in the NBA Finals.

Former NBA Player Charles Barkley looks on during warm-ups prior to the first inning of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) less Former NBA Player Charles Barkley looks on during warm-ups prior to the first inning of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP ... more Photo: Chris Szagola, Associated Press Photo: Chris Szagola, Associated Press Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Barkley still skeptical of Warriors, even with Durant 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

“I heard a lot more last year when they won,” Barkley said. “As I told the fans, it’s nothing personal. I gave an honest basketball opinion. Like I said, they got lucky last year (in 2015) because every team they played was hurt.

“It’s exactly what I said was going to happen: If they played a couple good teams, they were going to wear down. They weren’t going to make all those jump shots....

“They’ve got a great organization. I love Steph and Klay. But I don’t think small ball works, and it didn’t work in the Finals.”

Curry doesn’t seem especially bothered by Barkley’s lingering skepticism. One fan dressed in Warriors garb asked Curry on Thursday, “What do you think about Barkley? He hates us.”

Curry’s reply: “That’s great. It means good things will happen.”

Some other sights and sounds from a sun-splashed Friday:

•Barkley struggled during his first round, as usual. He still uncorked a long drive down the left side of the No. 18 fairway, well past the drive of comedian-actor Kevin Nealon.

As Nealon prepared to hit his second shot, Barkley slowly walked past and playfully shouted, “Hey, Kevin, did you see the supermarket they’re building?”

Nealon: “Where?”

Barkley: “Between my ball and yours.”

For all his good-natured bombast, Barkley brings a great spirit to this tournament. He briefly played with three toddlers dressed in Curry jerseys on No. 17, and later wandered over to the gallery to sign the prosthetic leg of one spectator.

•Here’s a snapshot of the simmering competition and friendly rivalry among former professional athletes: Hall of Fame wide receivers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown tangling on the golf course.

Brown, after warming up on the range, did not hide his motivation. He wanted to conquer his onetime teammate with the Raiders.

“Jerry and I are going to hate each other for the next four hours,” Brown joked. “If I can beat him by one stroke, I’ll have a good weekend.”

Brown ultimately won by three, posting 14 in the Stableford scoring format. Rice finished at 11, in an outing reminiscent of their regular Tuesday matches during their NFL playing days.

“All of a sudden, Tim just got hot,” Rice said. “I could see that look in his eyes, and I knew it was like, ‘Take that, Jerry.’”

•Rice and Brown both played for the Raiders in 2002, a season that ended with a loss to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. That’s also the last time Oakland had a winning season.

Brown, after all those years of frustration, envisions tantalizing possibilities for the Raiders this season. He said there’s “no reason” they can’t win the AFC West.

Brown frets more about leadership than talent.

“I think the only issue this year is how do you replace (Charles) Woodson and (Justin) Tuck in the locker room, not on the field,” Brown said. “They have some guys who may be able to play well, but that leadership in the locker room is huge.”

•Warriors forward Andre Iguodala looked resplendent in electric blue slacks, a matching hat and black shirt. Iguodala still blended into the background in a sense, because he was playing alongside Stephen Curry and Curry’s dad, Dell.

The gallery following the group was predictably large and exuberant. And, naturally, the fans were way more focused on the two-time MVP than his father or his teammate.

“It was mostly Steph,” Iguodala said. “I’m just laying low in the back.”

Iguodala had his moments. He made birdie on No. 16, and then he banked home a jump shot while the group waited on the No. 17 tee. A makeshift basket was set up on the beachfront hole, where boats and partygoers routinely congregate during the event.

Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick

1st-round leaderboard

The American Century Championship celebrity tournament uses a modified Stableford scoring system

Jack Wagner 27

Mike Modano 24

Mark Mulder 23

Mardy Fish 22

Sterling Sharpe 21

Jeremy Roenick 20

Others: Aaron Rodgers 10, Stephen Curry 7, Dell Curry 7, Justin Timberlake 6, Jim Harbaugh minus-8, Charles Barkley minus-36.