"I'm taking CP as my point, I'm taking Kobe as my 2" - Matt Barnes shockingly leaves out Kevin Durant and Allen Iverson from his all-time starting 5 teammates lineup
Shannon Sharpe put Matt Barnes in a tough spot on the latest episode of "Club Shay Shay." He asked Barnes to pick the top five starters from past teammates. Barnes has spent 14 seasons in the NBA, playing for several teams – notably the LA Clippers, LA Lakers, and Golden State Warriors.
Barnes has been a second-unit guy for a more significant chunk of his career, barring the 2014-15 season with the Clippers. During that season, he started in all but two games, averaging 10.1 points, four rebounds and 1.5 assists, explaining his affinity towards Chris Paul.
Episode 55 with @Matt_Barnes22 is out now.
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“Allen Iverson was my point guard, Steve Nash was my point guard, Steph Curry was my point guard, Chris Paul was my point guard, a healthy Baron Davis was my point guard – so that’s five right there," Barnes said. "The only reason why I’m taking CP over Steph is cause I only played half a season with Steph."
“I’m taking CP as my point, I’m taking Kobe as my 2, I’m taking Grant Hill as my 3, I’m taking Chris Webber as my 4 and Shaq as my 5.”
Matt Barnes had two stints with the Warriors, the first being two full seasons between 2006 and 2008. At that point, Baron Davis was running the show.
Following the 2007-08 season, Barnes moved to the Phoenix Suns, but his time with the Warriors wasn’t done. He returned towards the end of the 2016-17 season and won a championship – retiring on the top. However, that wasn’t even close to one of his best seasons in the league.
Having bounced around between different franchises within the league, Matt Barnes made his picks based on the significance of their time together. He left out some dominant teammates from his selections, including Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard, but explained by saying:
“I don’t count them because I didn’t get to play with them like, and I didn’t get to play with KD at all.”
Matt Barnes’ final season in the NBA
Matt Barnes started the 2016-17 season as a player on the Sacramento Kings roster and was an effective bench player. He averaged 7.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists. However, the Kings decided to release him towards the end of the season. As one door closed, another opened with Kevin Durant’s injury.
Barnes was added to the Warriors' rotation as a replacement for Durant, but he soon went down with an ankle injury.
"When people say you won a ring, I don't count that for the exact same reason you said. I was playing good," Barnes said on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast in 2020.
"I came in when [Kevin Durant] went down, played consistent 20, 25 minutes a game. KD comes back, I get hurt maybe a week before the playoffs, and I'm out of it. Worst ankle sprain of my life. I'm not healthy until the end of the second round where they're already 8-0.”
Matt Barnes may not have had one of the league's best careers, but he added value to multiple franchises. Furthermore, he’s made a respectable career as an analyst since retiring in 2017.