Matt Barnes is staying in Los Angeles, but it won’t be with the Lakers. He is crossing the hallway at Staples Center to play for the Clippers after agreeing to a one-year deal with the other team in the City of Angels.
Barnes, who is 32 years old, started his career with the Clippers. He played for the Clippers in 2003-04, averaging 4.5 points per game. The former UCLA standout has played for eight teams in nine seasons: the Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and the Lakers for the last 2 seasons.
He has a reputation as a solid defender and decent scorer off the bench. He led the L.A. bench with 7.8 points per game and averaged 9.7 points over the final 10 games of the 2011-12 regular season.
But his play on the court has often been overshadowed by his reputation off the court. This summer, he was arrested in Manhattan Beach for a misdemeanor traffic ticket (driving with a suspended license) and threatening a police officer. He was arrested in 2010 on an alleged domestic violence incident, but was never prosecuted.
On the court, he has been called a dirty player for incidents ranging from throwing punches to slinging assistant coaches to the floor. But, apparently it didn’t detract the Clippers from signing him.
Darren Jacks is a contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at djroxalot@hotmail.com.
Way to go Darren, as you know I do not know much about the game or its players, but I am proud of you writing this article.
It could be a good signing. Clippers have Caron Butler, and Grant Hill to play small forward. Caron has injury issues and because of Grant’s age he’s a liability to play big minutes. Matt can see a good bit of playing time for the Clippers. At least more than what he could have seen if he chose the Lakers.
Nice one DJ………..If he can get his head on straight he could be a big asset for LOB CITY…………
Excellent job DJ………..If Barnes gets his act together he could be a big asset for LOB CITY…………
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