AOL News has a new home! The Huffington Post.

Click here to visit the new home of AOL News!

Hot on HuffPost:

See More Stories

What Teams Will Want Matt Barnes?

May 9, 2007 – 10:14 PM
Text Size
The Big Lead

The Big Lead %BloggerTitle%

We've already asked you how much money Golden State free agent-to-be Matt Barnes may make this offseason, but here's another question: will anyone want the high energy small forward?

I'm a big Barnes guy. Besides his impressive path to starting in the postseason, Barnes had to overcome lots of racism during an impressive high school career:
He was the target of racial epithets and threats that were spray painted on the Del Campo campus weeks before his graduation, with walls emblazoned with white swastikas and phrases such as "KKK" and "Matt Barnes Die." No arrests were ever made.

Barnes, a product of an interracial marriage, was otherwise one of the most popular kids on the predominantly white campus.

Barnes also experienced racism during prep basketball games on the road, including students spitting at him or waving bananas, though some students were reprimanded.

So I'm rooting for Barnes. But will he have options? Money issues aside, Barnes is currently thriving in an offense built on defensive mayhem. The Warriors were the second highest scoring team in the NBA (106 ppg) in the regular season, but were one of two teams that averaged 100 points a night (Phoenix). The halfcourt offense is nothing to write home about.

We've yet to see Barnes dominate (or even be effective, really) in the halfcourt set; could that be why he nearly made the move to the NFL?

Three teams I can envision Barnes on are Cleveland, Miami, and the Lakers. Barnes - unlimited energy, always looking to run, no conscious as a shooter - would make a nice role player alongside a superstar like LeBron, Kobe, or D-Wade.
Filed under: Sports

ON FACEBOOK