Matt Barnes
Forward, #9
- Born March 9, 1980
- Attended UCLA
- Coached by Mike Brown, Phil Jackson
The NBA veteran and onetime UCLA star signed a two-year deal with the Lakers during the 2010 off-season after rejecting an offer from Cleveland. Barnes appeared in 53 games off the bench, averaging 6.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high 24 points in a victory over Minnesota on Nov. 19.
An injury interrupted Barnes' season in January, forcing him to have surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. He missed a total of 29 games before returning to the lineup in early March.
The 6-foot-7 forward saw less playing time upon his return, struggling with his lateral movement as he continued to rehabilitate his surgically-repair knee. Barnes, who has played for eight teams since being selected by Memphis in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft, continued his rehabilitation efforts in the offseason.
Barnes will exercise his $1.91-million option to play for the Lakers in 2011-12.
"The bitter taste in my mouth from here on out drove me to not want to go anywhere else," said Barnes, referring to the Lakers' playoff loss to Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals. "I want to come back to right the ship."
March 22, 2012