FanHouse Charles Barkley

TNT's Inside the NBA may be the best studio show in sports, and Charles Barkley is a huge (both literally and figuratively) reason why.

Unfortunately for viewers at home, though, Barkley hopes to leave the show sometime soon, saying that he'd walk away from his career as a television pundit should the right opportunity in an NBA front office present itself.

Charles Barkley is a former Dream Teamer, an NBA Hall of Famer, a studio analyst for TNT, and the owner of the worst golf swing you'll ever see. He also has thoughts on everything under the sun, which somehow makes him more likable.

Barkley appeared on ESPN Radio Dallas this week to talk about, well, a lot of stuff. Among the topics: the NFL's rules on protecting the quarterback.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Comedian Frank Caliendo is a premier impressionist. And he's made a mark in the sports world through his work on FOX NFL Sunday, and his spot-on imitations of some of sports biggest stars.

Caliendo recently stopped by to grace FanHouse with his comedy stylings. He tackled all the issues, from what Charles Barkley thinks of Lamar Odom's wedding, to John Madden's Super Bowl prediction.

Video after the jump.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer is a huge sports fan who tells us that he use to be a boxer and these days he enjoys golf. In this FanHouse exclusive we talk to Cedric at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California (not to be confused with the Sherwood Forest -- home of Robin Hood). Cedric who hangs out with lots of top athletes tells us about the time he was doing Vegas with Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Charles Barkley.

Check out the video after the jump.

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Wednesday, there are 34 days remaining.

He wasn't the best No. 34 who ever played the game -- that probably belongs to Hakeem Olajuwon or Shaquille O'Neal -- but he was the most controversial. And maybe the most contradictory.

Charles Barkley, who wore his 34 with both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns, stood alone when it came to polarizing basketball fans.

Through his 16-year playing career, he had fans who absolutely adored him and the way he played the game. He had fans who absolutely hated him, for the way he played, the way he acted, and for the things he said.

Greg Grant was a short player who overcame long odds: standing just 5-foot-7 and playing college ball in Division III, he was drafted in the second round by the Phoenix Suns in 1989, lasting seven years in the NBA.

Earlier today, FanHouse featured the first chapter of Greg's autobiography, 94 Feet and Rising, written with the help of Martin Sumners and released in July. In the following excerpts, Greg recalls what it was like to play against Magic Johnson and share a locker room with Charles Barkley, two of the brightest stars the NBA has ever seen.

Through his time on Inside The NBA, Kenny "The Jet" Smith has become one of the most respected media voices in the NBA. Prior to that, he was a championship point guard with two rings. Prior to that, he was a four year starter at UNC. So the guy's kind of got a history of success. And judging by, yes, his Twitter, he's open to trying to succeed at the next level.

RealGM.com picked up on a tweet from Smith last Friday saying "Yes coaching or management is next... Will be super difficult to leave TNT when that happens!!"

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 NBA season. On Tuesday, there are exactly 84 days left.

We've already talked about the most disastrous draft in NBA history (1986) and the calamity it caused, but if you backtrack two years, you can make a good case for just the opposite, the finest class of players ever to enter the league at one time.

The '84 NBA Draft stands alone.

This is the Draft that produced four future Hall of Famers, three others that played in at least one All-Star Game, and a handful of guys who had long and productive NBA careers.

Charles Barkley took time out from his busy schedule of holding down last place at the Lake Tahoe Celebrity Championship this past weekend to talk about two of his best buds: Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Tiger had just missed the cut at the British Open, and Jordan was competing in the Lake Tahoe event.

When asked about Woods' early exit at Turnberry, Sir Charles explained to the Arizona Republic that, "It bothers me right now that people make such a big deal out of that. He missed one other cut in a major, and that was after his dad died. So that doesn't really count. And to go 13 years and miss one cut in the majors has to be one of the most remarkable achievements out there. That's really impressive. And it shows you the stupidity of certain people who are questioning him."

Each Wednesday during the golf season, FanHouse will list the top five names in golf and why they're important. Did Barack play 18 with Tiger? Did a certain player do something controversial off the course? Or was just playing golf enough to get the pot stirring? Join us for a weekly feature we call Making the Cut.

5. Rick Rhoden -- Who said 50-year-old golfers can't win the occasional golf tournament? Rhoden, 56, claimed his eighth (8th!) Lake Tahoe Celebrity Championship last weekend, beating out Dan Quinn and Tony Romo. As Ryan pointed out after the victory, Rhoden has earned more in his "celebrity" golfing than he ever did during a season as a major league baseball player.