Charles Barkley (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
Sir Charles is wagering six figures on a squad with a Duke basketball trio.
Twenty percent of the Portland Trail Blazers roster consists of Duke basketball products: guard Gary Trent Jr. plus forwards Rodney Hood and Harry Giles. True, none of those three are the franchise player, the primary sidekick, or the premier post presence in town. Rather, those titles clearly belong to Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic, respectively.
Yet Trent Jr., Hood, and Giles possess guaranteed contracts. Plus, keep in mind Hood is finally set to see the court for the first time in more than 12 months after rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon.