The Los Angeles Lakers are open to the fact that this might be Kobe Bryant's last season. Charles Barkley, meanwhile, hopes it is.

In a radio talk with Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Barkley said that as much as he wants to see the competitive Bryant on the court, he does not want to see the future Hall-of-Famer look bad while he struggle once he returns to action.

"I hope he retires, because I don't want to see - I probably played two years too long. I hate to see Patrick Ewing, great as he was, struggle - I don't like seeing great players just out there, you know?" Barkley said.

He even stated that the greatest player of all-time Michael Jordan suffered that same fate during his last playing years with the Washington Wizards. Thus, he really hopes that this season will serve sa Kobe's "farewell" tour.

"Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards, that didn't do anything for me," Barkley said. "Kobe's obviously not going to walk away from $30 million. This should be like a farewell tour, play 20, 25 minutes a night. The Lakers aren't going to make the playoffs. Could he play some more? Yeah, of course. His best days are behind him."

He even dissed some fans for believing that Kobe Bryant will be back to his old self and simply look past his two previous injuries.

"I hear these fools on TV, talking about, 'Kobe's going to get healthy.' Old people don't get healthy; they die. Old people don't get healthy. Father Time is undefeated. ... You can get in great shape in the summer, because you're playing against air. Air doesn't hit back."