Barkley's secret is out; his back is vulnerable

Sporting News, The, Oct 18, 1993 by Tim Povtak

Just three days after Michael Jordan announced his retirement, the NBA's other star from the Finals, Charles Barkley, collapsed.

Barkley was running wind sprints after a scrimmage Saturday night when he fell to the ground. He stayed on the floor for 30 minutes. He had to be helped to the locker room and was treated for an hour.

"It scared me to death," Barkley admits.

Barkley will undergo magnetic resonance imaging tests, but the dramatic collapse revealed something the Suns didn't want known: Barkley was found to have a bulging disk in his back in August. A cortisone shot ended the pain.

Any time Barkley plays, opponents will go after his back. His enemies will go after him. His friends simply play the game the same way he does - hard.

Larry Bird proved you can't play with a bad back. He couldn't bang around the glass, and that's Barkley's game. Bird also lost some of his mental edge when he realized he was not the same player.

Without Barkley, the Suns go from being a contender for the title to a middle-of-the-road team. They may get 40 victories. A.C. Green is a terrific acquisition, but without Barkley, Dan Majerle would not be an All-Star; his 3-point shots come off Barkley's inside game. The pressure to provide offense would go back on Kevin Johnson, who has a history of injuries.

Seattle would become the clear favorite in the Western Conference, and Portland and Golden State would finish ahead of Phoenix, which would be no better than San Antonio and Utah.

When Jordan retired, Barkley chided him, saying the two had an agreement that they would leave the game at the same time. That may yet be the case.

Contracts leapfrogging

Larry Johnson signs a contract extension in Charlotte that gives him $84 million and 12 years of security. Anfernee Hardaway joins the Orlando Magic for 13 years with a package worth $65 million. Chris Webber will soon close on his deal with Golden State that could go 14 years and reach $80 million.

The lid is coming off NBA contracts. The first $100-million sweepstakes isn't far away.

Although the salary cap is supposed to keep salaries in line, it is the very reason the Magic had to give Hardaway so many years, much like Golden State was negotiating to do with Webber.

Because first-year, fair-market value was well above what Golden State and Orlando were able to give Webber and Hardaway, they were forced to extend the contracts into double-digit years to compensate. Imagine the reaction if either turns into a bust.

Johnson's situation was different but still a reflection of the future. Because he had the option of becoming a restricted free agent in two years and an unrestricted free agent in three, the Hornets were terrified.

The Hornets had just lost Kendall Gill, who forced his trade to Seattle by threatening to play out his option. The Hornets didn't want that to happen with Johnson.

"If you would have told me a few years ago that we'd sign anyone to this kind of contract, I would have said you were crazy," Hornets Owner George Shinn says. "Things have changed, obviously."

Drinking and driving

Because of his contract with Pepsi, Shaquille O'Neal was left off the team that will play in the World Championships in August.

O'Neal wanted to play on what is being called Dream Team II, but one of the sponsors of the World Championships is Coca-cola, which as part of its deal gets to use the players in promotions. Pepsi will not allow him to appear on any Coke promotions.

Watch for O'Neal, though, to be added to the roster this spring after the soda companies reach a comprornise with USA Basketball, which is fielding the team.

Set shots

The Danny Manning sweepstakes have reopened. Clippers management nixed deals this summer that would have sent him to Charlotte for Kendall Gill or Miami for Glen Rice and Grant Long. Manning can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, and the Clippers don't want to end up with nothing when he leaves.... You have to wonder how the Heat are selling this to their fans: Despite a 36-46 record last season, they plan to start this season with the same roster they finished with in April. "I don't know in the history of the NBA that we've had that," Miami Coach Kevin Loughery says. "I don't think any team has ever come back with the same players. I can't remember any team that ever has done that." ... Despite the Clippers' sending John (Hot Plate) Williams to a weight-management treatment program last week, Indiana Pacers Coach Larry Brown is trying to acquire him in a trade. As coach of the Clippers last season, Brown got Williams back into the league and still believes he can be a productive player.