UPDATE: Wojnarowski: Orlando Magic's Matt Barnes to Sign with L.A. Lakers
by Evan Dunlap on Jul 22, 2010 9:30 PM EDT
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PrintAdrian Wojnarowski reports Orlando Magic free-agent forward Matt Barnes is close to reaching an agreement with the L.A. Lakers on a one-year deal for $1.7 million, unless the Cleveland Cavaliers swoop in with more money, ending a bizarre free-agency streak which began Monday when Barnes thought he was headed to the Toronto Raptors for a two-year deal worth $10 million, only to learn the Raptors didn't have the resources to make that deal happen.
UPDATE (this paragraph only): Wojnarowski now reports the deal is for two years and $3.6 million, and that Barnes is "expected" to sign it tonight.
Orlando Pinstriped Post reported on July 8th that the Lakers' interest in Barnes is "very real."
Barnes didn't exercise his $1.6 million player option with the Magic for this season, hoping to secure a long-term, high-dollar deal on the open market after playing a key role on the Magic's Eastern Conference Finalist team. When the Raptors' rich offer fell through, Barnes turned his attention to contending teams offering low-dollar deals, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers, offering a portion of the mid-level exception.
Barnes' decision to decline his option netted him $100,000, which is far less than he expected. But playing for the two-time defending champs, in his home state--Barnes hails from Sacramento--is sure to alleviate some of that disappointment.
The Magic decided against offering Barnes a deal, preferring instead to sign Quentin Richardson, whom Magic GM Otis Smith deemed "a better skill player," in free agency. Assuming Barnes' deal with the Lakers goes through, he'll be the first of Orlando's four unrestricted free agents to leave. Adonal Foyle, Anthony Johnson, and Jason Williams are still on the market.
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That's disappointing.
The Lakers are getting a huge deal here (like they needed it). And I’m really sad that Matt didn’t get the raise he was hoping for.
On the upside, he gets to check Kobe in practice every day. He’ll get him to flinch one of these days.
The intensity has to go up, up! Not down...UP! -Stan Van Gundy
Yeah at this moment I think of Barnes as a superior player for the Magic vs. Q-Rich...
He just bought toughness and ENERGY. ENERGY is needed badly for Orlando. And attitude.
The way I see it...
he ended up taking a pay cut if you factor in State taxes as well as cost of living. Bad gamble on his part.
yes if this goes through + he'll be "sleepin' with the enemy".
he deserved better IMO.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
He'll come out about even
If all their games were in Cali, he’d pay $162,795.60 in state income taxes. Due to away games being paid at that state’s income tax rate, it’ll be less than that, but still more than half the amount.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Ain't no state can touch California
I live in southern cali, and theres no other place better to live…the only downpart is defending my Magic against all these gay Lakers fans LOL
California's state income tax for 2011 is 10.55% (>1 million $)
Which will cost him $179,350 and leave just over 1.5 million. So in reality it’s a cut, plus cost of living in LA.
That being said, he’s going to a contender. I like Matt and I hope he finds some stability down the road.
It’s a marginal tax, not a flat tax. It’s only 1% for the first $7,128, and goes up from there.
And yeah, the whole tax thing’s a tangent, but these sort of things can make a difference for signings.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Richardsons Not an Upgrade
On offense, yes. Defense….HELL NO! Outside of Dwight he was our best individual defender and rebounder. Dont we have enough shooters? I havent said much about him because I thought he was going to get paid alot more than we could offer but this is……not good.
Did I Say Perimeter?
Throw me some stats to prove me wrong, I know you will. But just off observation, I’ll take Matt covering LeBron or Kobe over MP.
I agree, Pietrus is a bit over rated because he was one of the few players that has the size and speed to have any chance of guarding Lebron. People took him guarding Lebron to mean he was the best defender we had. IMO I’d rather reddick guard Ray Allen than Pietrus, and thats just 1 example.
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I guess thats why SVG put Barnes in the starting line up halfway through the season.
Was it for his offense?
That had nothing to do with defense
More to do with ball movement and offense.
Never trust a fart
by AB's triple double on Jul 22, 2010 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, I see now
Because Barnes is a much better passer and shooter than MP……puhleesse.
ball movement-
peaches is a much better offensive player than barnes, but sometimes the ball stops moving when it gets in his hands. and barnes was a better fit in the offense cuz he cut a lot more then peaches does, so i think thats why svg put him in the starting lineup, and he played hard with a lot of energy because at that point in the season we were struggling in the 1st quarters
Barnes is a much better passer than Pietrus.
Much better. Pietrus’ near-total refusal to pass the ball made him a liability in the starting 5, where he was the fifth option. You couldn’t pass to him because he’d shoot it, but then you ended up basically playing 4-on-5. The unit data was posted a couple days back… he’s effective with the second unit, where the fact that he’s basically going to shoot it every time is mitigated by the fact that he’s the guy you want to shoot it a lot of the time.
In addition to passing, Barnes was also better at moving without the ball, setting picks, etc.
I call him LeBron Jim for short.
Matt Barnes would guard Kobe better than Pietrus. Blanket statements like Pietrus is our best perimeter defender will never hold weight. I’m pretty sure PER goes down more against Meer than any of our other perimeter spots.
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Know the facts.
Here’s the statistics—facts!—about how Pietrus contained Kobe in the 2009 Finals.
He’s their best perimeter defender.
That would be definitive IF we were only talking about Kobe Bryant and IF matt barnes was on the 09 team. Unfortunately, neither of these things are true.
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
You brought up Kobe.
TROLL.
You’re arguing just to argue now, we’ve brought up and analyzed the facts about this. very. issue many time at OPP.
Well no one ever countered who I was saying our best perim defender by the numbers would be… and thats meer.
Plus as the post below says, Barnes was better vs Kobe than pietrus was.
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Small sample size but.......
and I dont have the minute by minute breakdown. In the Magics 2 regular season games against the Lakers, with Barnes as the starter Kobe was a combined 16 of 49 from the field for a whopping 32%. That would seem to be a LITTLE better than the 44% Pietrus held him to.
"contained" shouldn't be thrown out so loosely
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
by ben_gleicher on Jul 22, 2010 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions
We all know Q-Richs game is based on hustle and energy.
Is that why one of the worst GMs in the NBA brought him in and let Barnes go? So now our options at 3 are two lazy ball hogs. COOL!
Dont get excited
I know their not lazy….just unmotivated. And Otis is a top 26 or 27th GM in the league.
Pietrus belongs on the bench
His game doesn’t get in the way of others in the second string, he can use more of his tools. Plus it’s always nice to have a player of his talent level on your bench.
One Freaken Second
by magic fanatic on Jul 22, 2010 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Really? Would you take him over Pierce again?
Because that wouldn’t turn out so well
One Freaken Second
by magic fanatic on Jul 22, 2010 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Well I'm not a stat guy like some of the people here
I’m not going to pull the numbers for each. All I know is that Pierce played out of his mind against us. Barnes was humiliated by him. Q will bring more to the table offensively, but he can’t do much worse against Pierce.
I hate to crap on the guy but he had one job in that series and he failed miserably.
One Freaken Second
by magic fanatic on Jul 22, 2010 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Q-Rich did nearly better on Pierce in the short Miami Series,
MIAMI, MIAMI!!!!
So you can keep knocking but won't knock me down
No love lost, no love found
You can never have enough good shooters with Dwight Howard in the middle.
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
"I thank my teammates for letting their men blow by them." - Alonzo Mourning after winning the DPOY award
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 22, 2010 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Following that logic
Why dont we just play 4 guards and Dwight? He is Superman after all and needs no help at all on defense. Dont worry, Dwight will clean up everyone elses blown assignment. We all know Olajuwon, Mutumbo, Russell, Shaq, Duncan, Robinson, Kareem, Wilt, Walton didnt need ANY help at all. Just stick the best shooters you can find, regardless of size or athleticism or defensive ability and it will all be OK. Right?
As long as 3 of the guards are 6'6", 6'7" and 6'10" it works fine.
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
"I thank my teammates for letting their men blow by them." - Alonzo Mourning after winning the DPOY award
by NC Magic Fan on Jul 22, 2010 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
really? i disagree
honestly i thought matt barnes was completellyyy overrated on the defensive end. i mean pierce just torched him, in the ecf, and i never was confident that we could slow down pierce that whole series whenever he touched the ball. I think Richardson is a huggeee upgrade over barnes offensively and defensively
Pierce would've torched ANYONE. If you're an elite perimeter scorer, and you're ON, you're ON.
No one can “contain” you. Sorry, but Pierce was lights out. It didn’t matter who was on him or how good they were. Great offense beats (fill in adjective) defense every time.
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
by ben_gleicher on Jul 22, 2010 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Will Odom still be calling him a monkey?
Will Barnes put his sons sh!ty diapers in his mouth?
Never trust a fart
by AB's triple double on Jul 22, 2010 2:42 PM EDT reply actions
Makes more sense
Barnes choosing to leave Orlando for Toronto was moronic to me, but him heading to his hometown team and 2time defending champs makes a lot more sense. I just wonder how well him and Kobe will get along. He essentially opted out and got less money. I disagree completely thinking that QRich is better all around than him but we will seeee…..
Kobe missed on Raja Bell so he got a replacement off the bench defender.
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
I Know Im Overreacting To This A Bit
But to think we could have probably held onto Barnes for an extra half mill or so isnt sitting well with me. It may have come down to Barnes decision to go to LA anyway.
Our 3’s are second rate at best now, and it wasn’t any better when barnes was here. Doesn’t make or break anything replacing mediocre with mediocre.
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I still liked Barnes energy
You need a few guys like that. That’s why I think it was so important the Heat got Haslem back. There’s plenty of guys who can score on the Magic. They need a few guys who are willing to make that a secondary part of their game to rebounding, defense, and energy. Funneling everything to Dwight is not going to result in a title. Then again that window’s probably already shut anyway.
We largely lost to Boston because our offense wasn't good enough against their defense.
I’m not saying QRich will get us over the hump, but Barnes could be pretty anemic on offense at times.
If we get Chris Paul, I don’t see how the magic wouldn’t be favored out of the east.
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions
FACTS FACTS FACTS:
“Our 3’s are second rate at best now…”
http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/orlando-magic/team/rankings/10/22/1
We were 3rd in percentage last season and 7th the season before that.
And don’t try saying Barnes magically helped with that given his .320 percentage.
Lol
where little excitement leading to irrelevant research happens
lol, yea i was refering to the position.
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions
LA just got tougher
Him and Artest harrasing wing defenders is gonna be a good look for them.
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
They needed more meat to throw at lebron, and they got it. its the same reason we had 4 or 5 guys that could match up with lbj, to throw 4 or 5 defenders at him like meat catapults.
Bass(still the only reaosn I think we signed him,) Barnes, pietrus
by David Polega on Jul 22, 2010 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Meat Catapults....HAHAHAH!!!
Thats great, thats pretty much what most teams throw at Dwight.
The Lakers added Ratliff.
As if that team needed to get taller. I always wanted the Magic to sign that guy. Adding Barnes and Ratliff while subtracting Farmar only makes that team better. Now the Knicks are at the top of CP3s list cause he wants a triple threat of his own, what the heck is going on in this league?? If that goes down, I’m done watching.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Who are the Knicks going to trade for Chris Paul. The only asset they have that is remotely worth anything is Eddy Curry's expiring contract. Vince's contract costs slightly more, but will obviously save them more money in the long run.
Orlando can also trade them good players who can play while they are rebuilding, and even in a couple years will be young enough to contribute. Who on the Knicks could New Orleans possibly want? Gallinari is about it, and he is definitley nowhere near as good as Nelson.
Plus, y'know
Carter can actually play basketball.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 23, 2010 3:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Great.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Well
I guess if he’s happy getting paid less to play for the Lakers, who am I to judge.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 23, 2010 3:34 AM EDT up reply actions
“Barnes has been offered between $3 million and $4 million next season by Cleveland, but the Lakers are appealing because they are two-time defending champions. "If he decides to play there [in Los Angeles], it’s his desire to play there," Barnes’ agent, Aaron Goodwin, said Thursday in a phone interview. "He has a relationship with Kobe and he’ll make a decision in the next 24 hours."”
Of course he has a relationship with Kobe…must of developed right after he tried to decapitate him in March. Barnes is so bogus…his bad english on twitter…his feud regarding a trashy reality show with shaq’s ex wife…now this? Magic fans were enamored by a fraud. Now he joins the frauds. To tell you the truth and knowing how the Magic franchise operates, I’m pretty sure this guy was never coming back. The organization bans headbands…this guy was a headband on crack.
Do I get this post deleted too Ben? Didn’t know we had to be all PC about a guy who clearly isnt…
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
I respect your opinion, but I disagree with them.
I can never claim him being “headband on crack”, because he never wore any during his tenure with the Magic.
It’s not banned by the way, Courtney Lee wore it during the 09 playoffs
1.) You’re right he never wore a headband…but that wasnt my point. It was an analogy symbolizing the fact that though he didnt wear a headband, he essentally represented a larger than life headband to management (ie. a huge issue for the franchise).
2.) Courtney Lee wore a headband because of the facemask he had to wear. The headband served a purpose other than an accessory to the players get-up, which according to Otis is alright (ie. Magic players can wear them if they are really using them as proper sweatbands).
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
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