The Clippers’ constant spinning of the small forward wheel never landed on a more enigmatic character than Matt Barnes. A hard-nosed defender no player wanted to play against, Barnes did the dirty work that the stars weren’t going to do on this team.
Barnes played 14 seasons in the league and end up on nine different teams by the end of his career. In an interesting quirk, he suited up for all five teams in the Pacific Division, including two stints each with the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers.
After getting his NBA start with the Clippers on a 10-day contract in 2004, Barnes returned in 2012 and played three seasons for “Lob City”. While he began as a bench piece, by the third year he was starting nearly every game as the perfect low-usage defensive wing the team needed.
Now that the “Lob City” era has ended, Barnes provided his thoughts on why the group could never break through. According to Barnes, the Clippers could never get along on the court to maximize their collective talent. Their lack of “mental toughness” put them at a disadvantage against a team such as Golden State. Too many egos meant not enough success.