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Kings notes: Barnes finds another home
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:23 am PST Friday, November 17, 2006
There is no official statistic kept for a Matt Barnes sort of situation.
If there was, however, it would be dubbed the "make-good average." And thus far, the Sacramento product is perfect in four tries.
By winning a roster spot with Golden State last month, the Del Campo High School graduate did exactly as he had previously accomplished with the Kings, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, taking a non-guaranteed contract -- essentially a training camp invitation -- and turning it into another NBA job. There's the added benefit of playing under the coach who tops the list of NBA coaching wins, too, in Don Nelson.
"I love playing here, so hopefully things work out," said Barnes, who has changed teams five times in four seasons. "I didn't really get a shot ... (in Philadelphia), but this is just an opportunity to come out here and play. I just want to come in, provide that spark, and whatever coach needs from me for the long haul, just be ready."
And if Barnes can't play in his hometown, this is the next best thing. His family in Sacramento drives down for games, and he has cousins who live in San Francisco and San Jose. On the floor, Barnes has been called on by Nelson quite often, playing an average of 10.8 minutes while mostly backing up small forward Jason Richardson.
He even started once when Richardson was injured, scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds in 27 minutes of the Warriors' 97-93 loss at New Orleans on Nov. 7. Coming into Thursday's game, Barnes had made 11 of 18 shots and had 13 rebounds in eight games.
It's far from long-term job security, though, as he has just a one-year deal. Barnes, whose career momentum was halted when he was part of the 2004 Chris Webber trade to Philadelphia, said he's still working for another big break.
"There's no relief, really, because I'm still fighting," Barnes said. "I'll just keep going out there, playing every game like it's my last and hopefully something good will come out of it."
Improved Player race -- For all the talk of Kevin Martin being an All-Star, it is -- as the Kings shooting guard himself said -- a bit early to discuss.
But there's no debating he's an early frontrunner for the league's Most Improved Player award, with his scoring average more than doubling (23.9 points per game entering Thursday).
The Warriors have a long shot candidate, too. Center Andris Biedrins averaged 14.1 minutes in his first two seasons, but Nelson has started him in five games this season. The 6-foot-11 Latvian has responded, averaging 8.5 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Home-court advantage -- Kings coach Eric Musselman had his two sons, Michael and Matthew, with him at the end of the Kings bench at Oracle Arena. They live part-time with their mother in the Bay Area town of Danville.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Kings notes: Barnes finds another home
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:23 am PST Friday, November 17, 2006
There is no official statistic kept for a Matt Barnes sort of situation.
If there was, however, it would be dubbed the "make-good average." And thus far, the Sacramento product is perfect in four tries.
By winning a roster spot with Golden State last month, the Del Campo High School graduate did exactly as he had previously accomplished with the Kings, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, taking a non-guaranteed contract -- essentially a training camp invitation -- and turning it into another NBA job. There's the added benefit of playing under the coach who tops the list of NBA coaching wins, too, in Don Nelson.
"I love playing here, so hopefully things work out," said Barnes, who has changed teams five times in four seasons. "I didn't really get a shot ... (in Philadelphia), but this is just an opportunity to come out here and play. I just want to come in, provide that spark, and whatever coach needs from me for the long haul, just be ready."
And if Barnes can't play in his hometown, this is the next best thing. His family in Sacramento drives down for games, and he has cousins who live in San Francisco and San Jose. On the floor, Barnes has been called on by Nelson quite often, playing an average of 10.8 minutes while mostly backing up small forward Jason Richardson.
He even started once when Richardson was injured, scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds in 27 minutes of the Warriors' 97-93 loss at New Orleans on Nov. 7. Coming into Thursday's game, Barnes had made 11 of 18 shots and had 13 rebounds in eight games.
It's far from long-term job security, though, as he has just a one-year deal. Barnes, whose career momentum was halted when he was part of the 2004 Chris Webber trade to Philadelphia, said he's still working for another big break.
"There's no relief, really, because I'm still fighting," Barnes said. "I'll just keep going out there, playing every game like it's my last and hopefully something good will come out of it."
Improved Player race -- For all the talk of Kevin Martin being an All-Star, it is -- as the Kings shooting guard himself said -- a bit early to discuss.
But there's no debating he's an early frontrunner for the league's Most Improved Player award, with his scoring average more than doubling (23.9 points per game entering Thursday).
The Warriors have a long shot candidate, too. Center Andris Biedrins averaged 14.1 minutes in his first two seasons, but Nelson has started him in five games this season. The 6-foot-11 Latvian has responded, averaging 8.5 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Home-court advantage -- Kings coach Eric Musselman had his two sons, Michael and Matthew, with him at the end of the Kings bench at Oracle Arena. They live part-time with their mother in the Bay Area town of Danville.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
