| 28 July 2010
For the second off-season in a row, the Lakers signed another former Kobe Bryant nemesis to add another piece to a bench that has become the deepest in several years. Free-agent forward Matt Barnes officially signed last Thursday a 2-year deal at $3.8 million. Today, he is being officially introduced into the Laker family.
Barnes said that Bryant's immediate and overwhelming support to his desire to join the Lakers was the catapult into his decision of taking less money to finally be in a position to win his first championship ring. He also mentioned that he's dreamed about playing for the Lakers since watching the Showtime era in the 80s.
That dream is now a full reality.
Because of the uncertainty surrounding Luke Walton's health (back) for next season, the Lakers pursued Barnes as soon as his proposed trade to the Toronto Raptors fell through because of cap space issues. Barnes' biggest contributions to the Lakers are his tougness on defense and his rebounding. The plus side is he is also an adequate three-point shooter and is a highly-active player on the court. He practically tries to make himself involved in almost every play on defense and in loose ball scenarios.
With Kobe, Ron Artest, Barnes, and (most likely) rookie Devin Ebanks, the Lakers will boast an impressive and formidable perimeter defense that make shooting against them even more difficult. Combine that with the size, length, and shot-blocking of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and newly-acquired Theo Ratliff, the Lakers have quietly built themselves a defense that compliments their potent offense.
Three-peat, here we come!
GO LAKERS!!!
