Is Matt Barnes worth keeping?

by saintdee on Mar 10, 2008 10:52 PM PDT

I've been thinking of how poorly Matt has been playing. I know he lost his mom this year and it might be a factor for his recent poor play. I only say he is playing poorly because it seems like Nelson is less inclined to play Barnes recently in favor of Croshere, Pietrus, Buke and Wright, and Barnes hasn't shown the ability to be offensively productive or defensively excellent like Pietrus can be.

So with the impending resigning bonaza this summer. Will Barnes stay? Personally I think its worth keeping Barnes if its a low price like 1-3 mill a year like this year. Barnes brings a lot of heart and he is the only one willing to foul aggressively. We know he can play and he is in my mind one of the best passers on the team and truly a product of Nelson's system. Theres no one else Nelson trusts to throw that inbound pass when the game is on the line and he is a captain so theres gotta be a lotta love for him in the locker room. I've also never heard him complain about playing time or playing out of position. I think he truly appreciates the opportunity to play.

What do you guys think? Cut Barnes to make room for a free agent? or keep him for his passing and potential contributions?

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

Tweet Comment 26 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I once called Barnes

The Human Turnover.

That name still applies.

He's just another roster spot up for grabs imo.

Warriors, Stupidest franchise in the league.

by kenntoe on Mar 10, 2008 10:58 PM PDT reply actions

llol

ya he is prone. not a consistent bench contributor.. he may be falling out of favor with Nellie.. we shall see in the next few game whether he gets any PT.

by saintdee on Mar 10, 2008 11:01 PM PDT up reply actions

Well

If his price tag is dirt cheap (which it should be) I don't see a problem in resigning him. Butte has definetly regressed from last year. I don't think I've seen him make a mid range shot in a long time

by BD4mvp on Mar 10, 2008 11:00 PM PDT reply actions

pedophile

didn't this BD4mvp call someone a pedophile on this website?

by goldenstatewarriors on Mar 12, 2008 7:50 AM PDT up reply actions

keep him

i don't think he'll get much on free agent market. you're right, he's a product of nellie's system. i don't see a problem with signing him to a small contract and letting him be our 8th or 9th guy in the rotation. he does no harm, and as we've seen he can be important to our success.

by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 10, 2008 11:04 PM PDT reply actions

Not a huge value

Even in Nellies' system (which should be best at hiding his incredibly flawed 1-on-1 skills), Barnes has been pretty awful.

His PER is atrocious, and his inability to finish should be blatantly obvious based on some of his recent "layup attempts" (I'm being generous calling them that)

I suppose, if we can't find other talent, he can stay for the minimum salary, but frankly, I can imagine a lot of veteran minimum-types who'd be more useful.

by ohmangoAs on Mar 10, 2008 11:20 PM PDT reply actions

keep him

he will get his offensive mojo back as soon as he realizes he needs the mohawk.

by jam3rz on Mar 10, 2008 11:38 PM PDT reply actions

ReSign if Price is Reasonable

He gets a pass on this years performance due to mother's death.

by soem on Mar 11, 2008 12:00 AM PDT reply actions

too early

to talk about it

-still 20 games left and some playoff games i guess

build a team & destroy the roof

by Lat We N Trash on Mar 11, 2008 12:29 AM PDT reply actions

let him go

I am EXTREMELY confident Nellie and Mullin could find a similar player through the draft or a bargain basement free agent.

Nice guy, but this is a business.

by Nellieball on Mar 11, 2008 12:51 AM PDT reply actions

keep him

but talk to him thoroughly about his postion at this team.
Matt plays with alot of heart and i can only imagine he is competitive as hell
he just needs that wakeup call, that second chance he got last year with his break out performance.

The Beginning of the "We Believe" Movement of Melbourne, Australia.

by DoomBizzle on Mar 11, 2008 2:31 AM PDT reply actions

We must wait and see...

MB has the type of hustle and play-making abilities that will come thru in the playoffs. He needs the hype atmosphere to get his blood and his game flowing. but he's definitely expendable... if you don't see much of him in the final games this year, that means don lost all confidence in him and he's outty.

"No Respect! I tell you man, No Respect!"

by oldskool on Mar 11, 2008 7:50 AM PDT reply actions

Barnes used to have swagger

He used to rock the 'hawk, pat down Jackson before games, stare down Philly and Sacramento after he hit shots against them, stare down the Mavs bench after his 3 following J-Rich's block in Game 1, throw bounce passes behind the back to Jackson...

He would always go for the cool looking play but he really doesn't anymore. Without his ridiculous style he is nothing but turnovers and occasional 3 pointers. Maybe his mother's death has something to do with his change.

Hope he gets back to his old self (maybe he should go 'hawk again?)

by belilaugh on Mar 11, 2008 8:16 AM PDT reply actions

why you gotta hate guys? i'll get back in form,

i promise. you're probably right about the hair cut.

by 321 IN n OUT on Mar 11, 2008 8:20 AM PDT reply actions

asdf

Give MB an opening in the lane on Dirk -- that'll cure his slump.

"Ohh! A FACIAL over Nowitski!"

by rroan28 on Mar 11, 2008 8:42 AM PDT reply actions

He is a product

of Nellies System. I doubt he will get much on the open market. If he truly wants to play basketball, he should take whatever the Warriors offer him so he can play significant minutes under Nelson and then retire when Nelson does.

by WilliamVanLandingham on Mar 11, 2008 8:47 AM PDT reply actions

Wait until after the season

I agree with the previous posters who said we need to play out the rest of this year and (hopefully!) the playoffs before we judge Barnes's value. He was a dangerous, vital part of the series against the Mavericks. With the increasing dominance of Monta (who then joins Baron and Jax in the "should-be-playing 40+ minutes" category), and more notably, the recent emergence of Pietrus, who does much of what Barnes does, but also defends much better, Barnes seems pretty expendable. However, I don't think he will cost too much, and he seems to fit in very well with the system here. I can't imagine the Warriors acquiring a better 8th/9th player than him. I'll add another vote to the "re-sign him if he doesn't cost too much" movement.

by Bucky on Mar 11, 2008 9:07 AM PDT reply actions

yup

just wait it out. if he doesn't play well in the post season if we make it, then we'll debate the decision.

"If somebody come in your gym and score 72 points, you goin' to stop playin too." - Friend on Monta Ellis' 72 point highschool game

by SAV IT OUT on Mar 11, 2008 11:08 AM PDT reply actions

Keep Him

He is one of our most versatile players and knows the system well.

Doesn't seem like there is any locker room beef or tension.

And he will be affordable because of a below average season.

Put a little mustard on it

by The Barnes Supremacy on Mar 11, 2008 11:44 AM PDT reply actions

It must be just me

but I love what Barnes brings to the table - regardless of his boneheaded plays at times. He will be a valuable bench performer next year -definitely worth the 3 million he gets now. Sign him for something similar, I'm a fan, even if he is flawed.

by triplesix on Mar 11, 2008 1:17 PM PDT reply actions

Re-sign

He'll be cheap and knows the system, bring him back. The only thing I would change is to not play him in crunch time. His shortcomings are magnified during the final minutes of good games.

by tangel29 on Mar 11, 2008 5:13 PM PDT reply actions

hahaha

As if the system were hard to learn in the first place?

Matt is a dime a dozen player, and definitely a product of Nellie's system. There are probably a multitude of options next offseason.

Never keep a player for sentimental reasons. If someone better is available or an option (likely) then you must make that move.

Warriors, Stupidest franchise in the league.

by kenntoe on Mar 11, 2008 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Not quite a dime a dozen

He is a football player playing basketball so there are some skills that he does not have. But he may be the best in the league at the baseball pass and he will knock anyone on their ass if it's needed...sometimes when it's not. He won't get as much money and we do have a place for him even if it's a much smaller role than he played during last years run. Keep him but give him 2 mil at the most.

sarunas is my father

by williedillssf on Mar 12, 2008 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions

Yep

We need a player off the bench like Barnes and he should be cheap, does what he is asked to do and has good chemistry with the guys here. We're not talking like Matt should be a priority, he would just be a nice player to keep along with who ever else we can get to really add depth to our bench.

by tangel29 on Mar 13, 2008 5:04 AM PDT up reply actions

Barnes showed how

important and versatile he was last year when he was occasionally running the point, if we can sign him cheap then do it.

by Calamity on Mar 11, 2008 10:21 PM PDT reply actions

I BELIEVE in Barnes!!

Ever since the Warriors made their playoff run last season I have been a die hard fan. But as for Matt, I think that we have to take into consideration the loss of his mother, which has had a tremendous impact on his game. I realize that he is not very consistent when it comes to long range shooting and his ball handling skills need improvement. But, he is good at rebounding and blocking shots. He never really put up huge numbers on the boards but he does have heart and he is willing to work within Nellie's system and contribute in any way he possibly can. He's an easy going guy who cares about his teammates. I say we give him an opportunity to prove that he can pull himself out of his shooting slump. Plus, he has made it very clear that he loves playing in the bay area and he would want nothing more but to land a long term contract. I hope he steps up his game so that he can get his wish.

by adevault on Mar 13, 2008 3:32 PM PDT reply actions