Fire Constantly Burns Inside New Laker Matt Barnes

[NJNJ]

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The official start of Matt Barnes' time with the defending champions may be two months away, but it seems he's already achieved his dream.

 

His "Dream Team," which includes Philadelphia's Jason Kapono, downed the San Francisco City Gold Rush 90-88 on Wednesday night to win the title in this late-summer Pro-Am league. After winning a best-of-three series in two games, the newest Laker is surrounded by stench and adulation in the back of a dingy locker room inside Kezar Pavilion.

 

Life as a role player will resume soon enough, but Barnes is the Kobe Bryant of this realm.

 

The red shirts bear his name -- Matt Barnes Ent. -- and teammates who can only dream of his good hoops fortune all compliment his game. They take pictures, sharing hugs and handshakes while the wild crowd waits outside. This celebration ends in true Barnes form, with a message at the huddle break that he surely must have scripted beforehand.

 

"Make 'em hate us," they yell.

 

The nine-year veteran had that very effect on the Lakers back on March 7, when he spent most of his 32 minutes bumping and breathing all over Bryant in a 96-94 Orlando win at Amway Arena. The night was a memorable one by the regular season's standards, a possible NBA Finals preview in which Barnes' ball fake at Bryant's nose on an inbounds pass sparked tough talk afterward.

 

Lakers small forward Lamar Odom called Barnes a "monkey" and an "action figure" for his antics, then vowed to never let such a scene happen again. Barnes shot back via Twitter, saying Odom should keep his name out of his mouth lest the then-Magic small forward "put my sons (expletive) diaper in it."

 

The name-calling has long since stopped, though. And in a move that might win the award for most unexpected free agency union of the summer, Barnes' two-year, $4 million deal signed last month means they're calling each other teammates now.

 

It's the newest Laker trend, apparently, this penchant for rewarding anyone who is fearless and defiant when matched up against Bryant. Ron Artest was the first to take that path to Los Angeles, challenging Bryant throughout the 2009 Western Conference semifinals while with Houston and later becoming a key piece to the Lakers' repeat effort. Yet while Artest's fuse has clearly lengthened over the years, Barnes showed just days ago that he is as fiery as ever.

 

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