NBA: Charles Barkley Warns Aspiring New York Knicks Coach: ‘Don’t Take A Bad Job’

Charles Barkley sent a message to current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon to repel possible offers of taking the head coaching position of the New York Knicks. The 56-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer believes that Hammon, the first-ever full-time female assistant coach in NBA history, deserves better than shifting to the Big Apple to lead an exasperated Knicks team.

In a quick interview with TMZ Sports, Barkley said, “ Somebody's gonna give her (Hammon) a chance,” before calling the subject position a “bad job.” “I don’t think she should take that job!” the Inside the NBA analyst said.

The 42-year-old Hammon is reportedly interested in signing up as the replacement of David Fizdale who got axed by the Knicks management last week amidst the team’s losing slide in the current NBA season. The team held a disastrous 4-18 record at the time of Fizdale’s firing – the worst in the Eastern Conference.

In a report gathered by Jabari Young of CNBC, Hammon might be willing to accept the job if a four- or five-year term in offered on the table. “San Antonio Spurs assistant head coach Becky Hammon is also an interesting name, and according to a league source, the former New York Liberty guard would have interest in coaching the Knicks if she could land a long-term deal, with the belief a four- or five-year deal would be sufficient,” Young said.

Marilyn Dubinski of SB Nation’s Pounding The Rock supports Barkley’s view, saying that “there has not been a more poorly run, toxic organization in the league over the last 20 years,’ in reference to the Knicks and that coaching such an organization is anything but ideal to commence a historic head-coaching career.

Dubinski relates to Hammon’s rationale of considering the job under the set conditions but insisted that the Knicks vacancy is not the one to take. “Everyone would love to see her coach the Spurs someday, but if the right offer comes along she should certainly take it. However, this wouldn’t be the right offer, and hopefully, she stays away,” Dubinski said.