Best: Sorry, Charles, loaded teams good for ratings

TNT's NBA tipoff lunch is a singular event on the sports media writers' calendar, inevitably devolving into a series of colorful Charles Barkley monologues.

Mondaywas no exception. He held court on a variety of topics, among other things asserting that a limited concentration of stars is "bad for the NBA.''

"I don't want the NBA to become where there are six good teams and 25 bad teams,'' he said.

When play-by-play man Marv Albert tried to argue that there is more excitement about the league than there has been in years, Barkley shot back, "Yeah, if you're in Miami.''

Barkley is right that LeBron James' "Decision'' and its fallout were bad for fans in Cleveland and Toronto. But he's wrong about the effect on the league.

Super-teams - and super-villains - generally are good for business.

As Barkley's boss, TBS Sports president David Levy, said, "People are going to want to see whether they can compete and win, and maybe even root for them not to win.''

ESPN sent a small army to Florida to cover the Heat's training camp and now has a dedicated "Heat Index'' on its website.

Just Monday, FoxSports.com announced it has "embedded'' journalists with the Heat and Lakers for a season-long series called "Heat or 3Peat?''

ESPN and TNT have maxed out on Heat and Lakers games, naturally, beginning with a doubleheader that features both teams on TNT Tuesday night.

And, nearly four months later, people still are debating how James handled his escape from Cleveland.

Barkley said he never argued that James was wrong to leave, only that he was wrong to stage a TV special to announce it - "That was torture; I want that hour of my life back,'' he said - and then for James to assert that racism was partly behind the reaction to it.

Said Barkley, "All white people and black people thought that 'Decision' thing was silly.''

(James jabs back at Sir Charles in his new Nike ad, reviving Barkley's ancient "I am not a role model'' line.)

Even though James decided not to take his talents to West 33rd Street, the Knicks have risen from nonexistent to relevant again in the eyes of the national networks. The first of their four games on TNT is Nov. 4 against the Bulls.

Barkley said the Knicks will be better, but not significantly so, and not better than the Nets. But TNT analyst Steve Kerr, former general manager of the Suns, said Amar'e Stoudemire will make an immediate impact.

"The big question with Amar'e, especially in terms of our situation in Phoenix last year, is will he hold up four or five years? And will the investment be worth it in the long haul because of the knee?'' Kerr said. "But I think short term . . . he's going to play well and be an All-Star.''

Will Fox rate?If Fox executives were sticking pins in a Colby Lewis doll Friday, they were not admitting it Monday, insisting the Rangers-Giants World Series could generate respectable viewership.

"I think if we go six or seven games, we're going to come out with a strong rating,'' Fox Sports vice chairman Ed Goren said, acknowledging that the low-wattage matchup might dampen the figures early in the series.

It won't help that both teams are west of the Mississippi in a year when Game 3 is to start at 6:57 p.m. Eastern Time.

Neither will the ongoing dispute between Fox and Cablevision (which owns Newsday), which affects about three million homes. Goren said the effect on ratings will be "nominal.''