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I heard a rumor on Yahoo.com that the Warriors are either siging Barnes or Pietrus, not both.
Warriors: Barnes Near a Deal?
By Preetom Bhattacharya
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 5, 2007, 04:53
Could Matt Barnes be on his way back to Oakland after all?
A source close to the situation told Basketball News late on Saturday that the Golden State Warriors could be close to an agreement to bring the unrestricted free agent swingman back to the team. Terms discussed in the negotiations are not yet known and have not been finalized, but the source indicated that "something could be solidified very soon."
Barnes recently fired his agent, Dan Fegan, after not getting a deal done earlier in the free agency period. He has since hired Aaron Goodwin, who has strong ties to the Bay Area and may have been able to facilitate a deal with the Warriors. Goodwin is Barnes' third agent in the past year.
Expecting a large deal this summer, Barnes fell victim to many teams unwilling to pull the trigger and offer him the Mid-Level Exception. With his teammate and fellow swingman Mickael Pietrus in the same boat, both could end up returning to the Warriors on short-term deals. The Miami HEAT and Dallas Mavericks were reportedly interested in Barnes, but he had not received suitable offers from either team.
Barnes, a journeyman prior to this past season's eruption in Don Nelson's system, provided toughness and outside shooting for the Warriors. His passionate play in the postseason, coupled with frenetic defense and timely contributions, helped the Warriors pull off one of the greatest upsets in NBA history, defeating the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
Barnes established career highs across the board, averaging 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting .366 from behind the arc and .438 overall.
In the playoffs, Barnes stepped up his game and averaged 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest.
Bringing Barnes back to the lineup would provide Don Nelson with tremendous flexibility on his roster, allowing him to create the mismatches he enjoys employing. Last season, Nelson used Barnes at both forward positions despite the fact that Barnes, at 6-7 and 226 pounds, is undersized to play power forward in the paint. Barnes, who started 23 games for the Warriors last season, has been reportedly seeking a starting job this summer and the Warriors could possibly use him as a starter in spot situations, bringing Monta Ellis off the bench and playing Stephen Jackson at the off-guard spot. With Jackson suspended for the first seven games of the season, Barnes would be expected to start.
When All is Said and Done
PG: Baron Davis / Sarunas Jasikevicius
SG: Monta Ellis / Marco Belinelli / Kelenna Azubuike
SF: Stephen Jackson / Matt Barnes / Mickael Pietrus* / Stephane Lasme
PF: Al Harrington / Austin Croshere / Brandan Wright
C: Andris Biedrins / Kosta Perovic / Adonal Foyle / Patrick O'Bryant
* A qualifying offer has been extended to Pietrus for a one-year, $3.5-million deal. As a restricted free agent, the Warriors could match any deal he gets, but Pietrus has yet to receive a substantial offer and reports have surfaced that he may return to the team and seek unrestricted free agency next summer.
Should the Warriors be able to agree to terms with Barnes, they would have 16 players on their roster, putting them one over the league maximum for roster size. Pietrus may be moved in a sign-and-trade deal or Stephane Lasme, the team's second-round pick in June's draft, could be waived after being unable to show the Warriors much in summer league because of a knee injury. Several other options are available as well, including a two-for-one type of deal that could include slowly-developing Patrick O'Bryant or little-used Sarunas Jasikevicius, who European news outlets report is on the outs with the Warriors.
Looking at the depth chart above, the Warriors would theoretically want to bring in a backup point guard for Baron Davis as an insurance policy at some point this offseason. However, sources say Ellis been working on his ball-handling all summer, looking to polish his point guard skills, which would dramatically help a Warriors squad looking for solid depth at the position.
Although the Warriors are perceived to have been sitting on their hands this offseason, the team has picked up several valuable pieces that can be expected to contribute next season and may help improve the squad both in the short and long term. Looking to add depth in the trenches of the paint, the Warriors have added three big men in Croshere, Wright, and Perovic, all of whom have the size to at least grab some boards when they get playing time. Wright and Perovic are extremely long, but their youth and skinny frames could initially hold them back as they adjust to the more physical nature of the NBA game - however, with the proper coaching, either or both could be solid contributors after some needed adjustment time.
In bringing in Belinelli, the Warriors have added sheer point-scoring ability to offset their loss of Jason Richardson, their biggest subtraction to the roster. Belinelli won't be able to provide the leadership and character Richardson did, but coupled with growth in Ellis' game, the production from Belinelli and Ellis should be at par or better than that of Ellis and Richardson from last season.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22957.shtml
I heard a rumor on Yahoo.com that the Warriors are either siging Barnes or Pietrus, not both.
Well, it is from hoopsworld. So he is likely gone.I hope Dallas does not get him though...
They're thinking about sign and trading Mickael Pietrus and Sarunas Jasikevicius to Miami for Jason Williams. So they might end up with Jason Williams and Matt Barnes.
http://www.miamiherald.com/594/story/192707.htmlApparently, Jones was unwilling to wait that long. The three-time All-Star heads to Dallas after turning down the Mavericks in February, when he was bought out of the final year of his contract by Memphis. Jones instead signed with the Heat.
Jones' move to Dallas might have eliminated one of Posey's potential suitors. Posey's agent, Mark Bartelstein, had listed the Mavs, Cavaliers and Wizards among the teams most interested in his client.
Posey met last month with Golden State president Chris Mullin and also had been linked to a potential sign-and-trade deal for restricted free agent Mickael Pietrus.
But because of luxury-tax implications, the Heat is no longer believed to be as willing to push Posey in such deals.
The Heat is interested in Pietrus and is considering trades that involve players under contract.
One deal discussed included the Warriors sending Peitrus and point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius to Miami for point guard Jason Williams.
But it was unclear Friday how willing the Heat is to unload the only experienced point guard in its system, or how much the Warriors are willing to spend $9 million next season on a backup for Baron Davis.
Also, it's hard to trust a guy talking about basketball with no vowels in his name.Well, it is from hoopsworld. So he is likely gone.
You can't handle one vowel per syllable?
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