'Conspiracy': Charles Barkley Torches The Lakers

Charles Barkley is sick and tired of hearing about the terrible Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are 11-16, and dropped the team's latest game Tuesday night to the Boston Celtics. Yet, LeBron James and company are covered in the news like true contenders.

Barkley has had enough of it, and he made that crystal clear Tuesday night.

"The Lakers stink. They all forcing us to show them all the time like they gonna be good, the NBA. It's a conspiracy, and then we got all these clowns on TV that have to talk about them every day. It's a conspiracy. We have to talk about the Lakers. The Lakers are awful … For some reason, these morning talk shows and us, we have to show the Lakers all the time. The Lakers stink," Barkley said during halftime of the Lakers/Celtics game.

Does Charles Barkley have a point?

It's hard to argue with Charles Barkley's logic. The Lakers are a horrible team that is five games under .500. The Lakers aren't even close to sniffing being competitive.

Yet, due to the brand and the fact LeBron James is on the team, you'd think the Lakers were a top three team with the amount of coverage the franchise receives.

Not true. Not true at all. The Lakers are atrocious.

Over the last five games, LeBron James and company are an abysmal 1-4. However, you'd never know it by how much coverage the Lakers get. you wouldn't know it at all.

Charles Barkley, as he usually is, hit the nail right on the head. As he pointed out, does anyone talk about the Washington Wizards - the east comp for the Lakers - at all? Of course not.

Unless the Lakers actually make a run and get in position to compete for a title, the media should stop pretending like the franchise is elite. It's not and everyone with eyes knows it.

Written by
David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.