Charles Barkley Gets Honest on Frank Vogel, Suns

NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley didn't hold back on the Phoenix Suns.

Apr 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel speaks with forward / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns departed the Western Conference postseason far earlier than some had hoped for.

While the organization evaluates what steps to take next, Charles Barkley sent a message to... practically everybody involved.

"Part of our job - we watch all the games, watch all the talk shows, a lot of these people on television - they're cowards because they want the players to like them. They don't want to do their job, which is to tell the truth. I just want to say this about coaching: Anybody who thinks the reason the Lakers suck is because of Darvin Ham or the reason the Suns suck is because of Frank Vogel - you don't know what you're talking about," said Barkley.

"Frank Vogel is a hell of a coach. Darvin Ham is a hell of a coach trying to get his career started. ... The Lakers suck and the Suns suck because of the players. it has nothing to do with the coaches. ... Darvin Ham needs to get fired? Frank Vogel needs to get fired? Who put them teams together, them trash ass teams, [whoever] put them together needs to get fired. They didn't just all of a sudden suck as coaches, people who put them teams together should start packing their stuff."

Full clip:

"You sitting there saying, Darvin Ham needs to get fired, Frank Vogel needs to get fired. Who put them trash ass teams together need to get fired. They didn't just all the sudden suck as coaches. People who put them teams together should start packing."

Charles Barkley. #Suns pic.twitter.com/23AbQdNoTy

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) May 2, 2024

Suns owner Mat Ishbia met with reporters yesterday to discuss a variety of topics - including job security of prominent members of the organization such as Vogel and GM James Jones - and was predictably nuetral in his stance.

"We're going to evaluate everything," Ishbia said during a press conference. "Everything is on the table to evaluate. We have just not started it."

As for the team-building aspect Barkley pointed to, Ishbia says the Suns made the right moves.

"You look back at some of the trades that James [Jones] and all of us were part of - we do those things 100 out of a 100 times," Ishbia said.

"Not 99 out of a 100, a 100 out of a 100, and we'd still do them again. And I think [the] other 29 GMs would all do the exact same thing. We feel great about the moves we've made on the court, off the court and we're really proud of it."