Barnes reaches 2-year deal with Lakers

[Gargamel]

No, people are bashing the Heat and the system that allows them to fill their roster with veteran free agents after spending all their cap on four players. This is no different.

It's also funny how you somehow justify the Lakers landing Matt Barnes when there were reportedly at least two other teams offering him more money. I'm not one of the people arguing that a veteran taking less money to play for a contender is destroying the fabric of the space/time continuum, but it's plainly obvious that Matt Barnes to the Lakers is no different than any of the veteran free agents that signed with Miami for the minimum. It's the same thing the Lakers tried to convince Raja Bell to do. It's the same game.

I don't see the same level of bashing of Miami as a franchise/business as I do LeBron James as an individual, sorry. Riley's been getting a lot of praise, aamof. The system makes it possible for any team that hasn't F'd their situations up to create cap like that so it's not like Miami circumvented any rule. The Knicks and Bulls did it too. You can see why they did what they did. You can see why Wade wanted to rook the two other guys there. You can see why Bosh wanted to go there (soft and they coddled him by promising not to make him play center). Bron's part in it is the most controversial and puzzling -- because he's been viewed as the heir to MJ from Day 1, because he probably could've waited out Boston and LA, and because of the uncouth BSPN special and rally and so forth.

The Bron situation is a whole different ball of wax than Matt Friggin Barnes signing a partial MLE, which is available to every team over the cap. I don't even need to bother justifying Barnes signing for basically what he's earned everywhere else. It's not a big deal. The only similarity in the two cases is that they both snubbed Cleveland for an attractive destination and Barnes wasn't even beholden to the Cavs like James was (at least in the minds of Dan Gilbert and the fans and media).

 

[Gargamel]

And yet the VERY PROMINENT tattoo on his leg says "Sactown finest"... That's the only chuckle I'll get out of this whole deal. Seeing that displayed during every Lakers game. LOL!

Hrm...I wonder if they'll make him cover it or have it removed????

I hear hoopsfan has that same tattoo.

 

[hoopsfan]

I hear hoopsfan has that same tattoo.

LOL!!! Now that's going too far, Gargie! I do have some tats, but definitely not that one!! And yes, one of them is a Laker logo!

 

[kennadog]

And yet the VERY PROMINENT tattoo on his leg says "Sactown finest"... That's the only chuckle I'll get out of this whole deal. Seeing that displayed during every Lakers game. LOL!

Hrm...I wonder if they'll make him cover it or have it removed????

I didn't quite hear all the talk with Matt Barnes on KHTK, but I think he said that he had that tattoo covered up. He said he wasn't into basketball tats anymore. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Superman]

I don't see the same level of bashing of Miami as a franchise/business as I do LeBron James as an individual, sorry. Riley's been getting a lot of praise, aamof. The system makes it possible for any team that hasn't F'd their situations up to create cap like that so it's not like Miami circumvented any rule. The Knicks and Bulls did it too. You can see why they did what they did. You can see why Wade wanted to rook the two other guys there. You can see why Bosh wanted to go there (soft and they coddled him by promising not to make him play center). Bron's part in it is the most controversial and puzzling -- because he's been viewed as the heir to MJ from Day 1, because he probably could've waited out Boston and LA, and because of the uncouth BSPN special and rally and so forth.

LeBron is getting killed, but I'm not talking about the LeBron signing. I'm talking about Miami filling their roster with veterans on minimum contracts, when said vets could get more elsewhere. The media in general isn't paying much attention to that, but knowledgeable basketball fans are. We've had many a thread here in the past three weeks about this very topic. And it's exactly what the Lakers are doing with Barnes.

The Bron situation is a whole different ball of wax than Matt Friggin Barnes signing a partial MLE, which is available to every team over the cap. I don't even need to bother justifying Barnes signing for basically what he's earned everywhere else. It's not a big deal. The only similarity in the two cases is that they both snubbed Cleveland for an attractive destination and Barnes wasn't even beholden to the Cavs like James was (at least in the minds of Dan Gilbert and the fans and media).

Again, not comparing Matt F. Barnes to LeBron James. I'm saying that Barnes signed for less than he was offered elsewhere to play for the Lakers, and that's after Raja Bell refused to do so. It's not relevant that Barnes signed for the same amount he's been playing for throughout his career, because he could have signed for more this summer. But he gave the Lakers a title-contender discount.

 

[Gargamel]

LeBron is getting killed, but I'm not talking about the LeBron signing. I'm talking about Miami filling their roster with veterans on minimum contracts, when said vets could get more elsewhere. The media in general isn't paying much attention to that, but knowledgeable basketball fans are. We've had many a thread here in the past three weeks about this very topic. And it's exactly what the Lakers are doing with Barnes.

Barnes may have been paid less than he would've received from the Cavs, BUT he didn't get the vet min either. Bell got offered some asinine deal, mainly because he already played for Utah in the past and they overvalue guys who are simply willing to stay there (check their draft choices over the years). Bad News Barnes would've told LA to fly a kite if Cleveland offered him 10 over 2 or 3. Given less than that, you can't factor out the actual market from the equation, regardless of rosters. Miami and LA, no matter their records, can sometimes get away with offering less money to players than Cleveland and Salt Lake City can. Both of us are familiar w/ that dynamic in opposite ways. Like I said earlier, Rick Fox was offered 16-18 by CLE in 1997 and took a 1 mill first year deal in LA to get into the market (B movie aspirations).