Getty Images

Charles Barkley has never been one to mince words, hold back or worry about how his opinion might be taken.

But when he would only say Shaquille O'Neal interviewing with the Magic was "interesting," well, I think we know why.

Barkley was on The Dan Patrick Show and of course asked about his TNT studio partner reportedly interviewing with the Magic. And Barkley confirmed it. (Update: A report now says Shaq won't be interviewing.)

Do you make anything of this talk of Shaq discussing being a GM with the Orlando Magic?:

“It’s interesting, to be honest with you. Obviously they’re trying to do anything to keep Dwight there and bring a buzz. … They’ve got to do something, either way, whether Dwight stays there or not. Bringing Shaquille in as your general manager is an attention-getter. Whether Dwight stays or leaves, you’re bringing attention to your organization.”

Is Shaq interested in that job?:

“Yes. I don’t know what’s going to happen, obviously. Obviously we’re aware that he’s interviewing for the job. … He’s from Orlando and has affection for the organization, so we’ve just got to sit back and wait.” He told you he’s interested in it?: “Yes.” When’s he interviewing?: “I’m not sure when he’s interviewing for the job, but I think it’ll be now or sometime real soon.”

From my experience when someone says, "It's interesting," that often means, "I can't say what I really want to say because yikes." Barkley's right -- it would grab some attention. It already is. But not the positive kind. It just makes the Magic look bad. The fact they'd even consider hiring a guy that had DeAndre Jordan starting at center for the West in the All-Star Game.

And Shaq's 0-1 as a GM anyway. Going against Chuck, Shaq's team lost the Rising Stars challenge 146-133 this last season. Shaq spent his first pick on Blake Griffin.

Maybe the more intriguing thing Barkley said though was this when asked about the Heat:
“You know what the problem is? That team’s not great. They lost to Dallas because they’re very small and they have no depth on the bench. And they’re not going to win the championship. They might win this series against Indy. They might even beat the Sixers or the Celtics, but they’re not going to beat the [Spurs] or the Oklahoma City Thunder."
Now that's... interesting.