Ernie Johnson:

Take issue with what he said?

Charles Barkley:

Of course I do. That was stupid. Derrick Rose is a great player, he's a great kid, love his mom. That was stupid. You know, Ernie, we're so blessed. I leapt around, but I'd go home to a big old mansion. There's people who work harder than Derrick Rose who go home to a shack. There are consequences for what we do for a living. We got the best life in the world. I'm a poor black kid from Leeds, Alabama who grew up in the projects and listen: I don't mind limping around. When I go home, there's a big old house and I got good sheets. I don't know the thread count but they good. I got a big old car, I never have to worry about my bills. There are pros and cons to what we do for a living.

Derrick Rose is making $20 million dollars a year. He got a couple bad knees. That's disrespectful to maids, people who are in the army who go out and kill people and get killed and got no arms and no legs, and listen: as much as I like Derrick Rose, that was just flat out stupid.

Ernie Johnson:

Did this bring his commitment in question in either of your minds?

Shaquille O'Neal:

I agree with Chuck a little bit.

Ernie Johnson:

Does it bring his commitment to that team into question?

Shaquille O'Neal

I don't know about that, but I was taught that if you can walk, you can play. Imagine this: Kevin McHale, you see how he walks? Phil Jackson, you see how he walks? You see how Chuck walks? You see how I walk? But guess what? It was worth it.
Kenny Smith:

See how I walk?

Shaquille O'Neal:

It was worth it. It was worth it. So when you make comments like that, sort of makes you look soft. But, you know, like he said, he can only be himself. If that's the way he feels, then that's the way he feels. But me personally, if I could walk, I could play.

Kenny Smith:

Well, I think the context should have been more of "the reason I sit out games now is to help us win a championship". And then, the second part of that is "and that's also gonna be benefit me later on in my career, and after basketball". But to precede it by it's gonna help you first, after basketball, leads you to believe that maybe when you were hurt last year and everyone says that two years ago that you could have played. So you leave all the speculation.

The reason why Tim Duncan sits out and Manu Ginobili sits out and Parker sits out is because they're winning championships. And yes, it will help them in the long run. But basketball's not like football either. There's a difference between a concussion and a sprained ankle. Like you sit out games with concussions with football guys, or even like Nic Vucevic had last year. Okay, cool, we understand that. That's lifelong, that could be more than just basketball. But they have ACLs, they have operations for things like basketball players.

Charles Barkley:

Ernie, I walk around and I limp and y'all make fun of the way I walk. I wouldn't change anything about my life, man. Listen, I grew up in Leeds, Alabama in the projects. I bought my mom a house, I bought my grandmother a house, I bought my brothers a house. I wouldn't change anything about my life.

Kenny Smith:

I'll give him a little bit of the benefit of the doubt of the context he said it in. We're taking a part of a quote and not a whole thought process. So maybe he did mean that, but just didn't express it the right way. I don't think as an MVP that you could be soft.

Nonsensical Blabbing by Several

Charles Barkley:
See, that's my point, Ernie. The problem I have - first of all, sometimes we say things that you wanna go back. He had a chance to clean it up with Rachel.

Ernie Johnson:

And said "if you don't understand, I don't really care".

Charles Barkley:

That's what I have a problem with even more.

Kenny Smith:

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt because the MVP can't have a low threshold of pain. It's just impossible.