"He also said JJ Redick was a dead man walking" - Lakers fans react as Charles Barkley refuses to call Luka Doncic and Co. contenders

Charles Barkley remained unconvinced of the LA Lakers' chances of making some noise in the playoffs and possibly contending for an NBA championship. The Hall of Fame forward drew the ire of Lakers fans online for his latest take on Luka Doncic and Co.

On Thursday's episode of Inside the NBA, Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson were previewing the matchup between the Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Barkley has some doubts about the Purple and Gold's chances of contending, describing them as a "solid" team.

"I think they're solid," Barkley said. "I don't think they're a contender. They were awful at the start of the season; they're awful in the past two to three seasons, in fairness.

"Luka is an upgrade, but I still don't think they're on the same level with the Nuggets and OKC, who I think is the best team in the West. I'm not sure if they're better than Memphis, I'm not even sure they're better than the Rockets."

LA Lakers fans are not impressed with Charles Barkley's latest comments about their team. They fired back at the NBA legend, who has been criticized by some fans for not watching games despite his job as a basketball analyst.

"He also said JJ was a dead man walking two months ago," a fan replied.

"When has Chuck ever said lakers are contenders though?" one fan asked.

"Why we listen to these guys? They are never right about anything," another fan commented.

Charles Barkley has always been critical of the LA Lakers since they won an NBA championship in 2020. Barkley was not happy with how they treated coaches such as Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham, as well as players like Russell Westbrook, who were all vilified by the majority of the fanbase.

"That means we’re marked safe from Chuck’s guarantees," a fan tweeted.

"The Lakers could win the championship and Chuck would still say they aren’t a contender 😂 we not taking anything this man says about the Lakers serious," one fan wrote.

"Charles Barkley is easily the biggest Laker hater out there. Charles makes Skip Bayless look smart," another fan remarked.

The Lakers have a record of 35-21 entering Thursday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are fifth in the West but are just two games behind the No. 2 spot.

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Why does Charles Barkley hate the LA Lakers?

Back in early January, Charles Barkley finally revealed why he hates the LA Lakers. He pointed out that when something goes wrong, no one from the organization takes the blame and puts it on other people like the coach or a player.

"Why I hate the Lakers?" Barkley said. "It's always somebody else's fault. Remember three years ago? It was Russell Westbrook's fault, then it was Frank Vogel's fault, then it was D'Angelo Russell's fault, then it was Darvin Ham's fault ... You don't always blame other people for your shortcomings."

It will be interesting to see if The Round Mound of Rebound changes his stance after the regular season ends and the playoff seedings are confirmed.