Charles Barkley needles Warriors, Myers at In-Season Tournament semis

The Warriors didn’t make it to Las Vegas for the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament, but they sure were a key discussion point for Charles Barkley anyway.

The supposed top Warriors hater used the cross-network coverage between ESPN and TNT of the tournament semifinals, which took place Thursday, to poke fun at the Warriors like usual. This time, it was through a quip directed at former Warriors general manager and current ESPN analyst Bob Myers.

“I want to give you credit for jumping off the Titanic before it sunk,” Barkley said to Myers in between Thursday’s two semifinal games.

After laughter erupted from both sets and the crowd below, Myers said, “No comment,” before turning toward Barkley at the other television set and adding, “I have friends over there.”

Barkley doubled down, retorting, “Yeah, you’re going to see them soon,” implying that some Dubs brass will be fired in the near future.

But perhaps even more intriguing than Barkley’s shot at the Warriors through Myers was what the former GM said about a specific player who was actually still playing in the tournament: Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.

Myers recalled the workout Haliburton did for the Warriors in Las Vegas before the 2020 NBA Draft, with just Myers, Warriors owner Joe Lacob and head coach Steve Kerr in attendance. Myers described the workout as “good” before going deep on the post-workout dinner, making it seem pretty clear that there is some regret over choosing James Wiseman instead of Haliburton.

“What bothers me more than anything was his workout was good. When we met with him after … I should have known then, because of who he is as a person and as a leader,” Myers said. “Because, you meet with people, you talk to them. That conversation left a mark because of how smart he is and how confident. It’s not fake, it’s not arrogant, it’s confidence.”

Myers would continue with the compliments, which surely stings some Warriors fans given Myers could have just drafted Haliburton, instead of picking James Wiseman at No. 2 and letting Haliburton drop to Sacramento at No. 12. (The Kings traded him to Indiana after just a season and a half, which would also probably sting except in return they got Domantas Sabonis and their first playoff berth in 16 years). Wiseman was chosen to be the shepherd of the now-infamous “Two Timelines” plan, which the Warriors abandoned going into this season.

On Thursday, Haliburton led the upstart Pacers to a 128-119 win over the Bucks, tallying 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds. Indiana will take on the Lakers in the In-Season Tournament championship Saturday night. The Warriors will watch from home, leaving their fans wondering what could have been had Haliburton come to the Bay.