Matt Barnes has chosen to play for the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. One of the best perimeter defenders is joining forces with former defensive player of the year Ron Artest & 4 time First Team All-Defense Kobe Bryant. They'll be playing under the defensive genius of coach Phil Jackson.
What it means for the league is that the Lakers are still the deepest and most talented team in the NBA. LeBron, Wade & Bosh? Whatever. They might not even get past Noah, Rose & Boozer.
Save that debate for another day. For now, the Lakers have added one of the most valuable players available in 2010's free agency. In Barnes, they've signed the best role playing defender on the market for 2 years at $3.6 million.
Barnes was considering the Raptors or the Cavs. Hell no. Good move to go with a solid contender in the city where he went to college at UCLA.
In 2009, Ron Artest played hard and physical with Kobe in the playoffs. The Lakers brought Artest on board on the way to winning rings in 2010.
In 2010, Barnes took it to Kobe's face during a regular season game. Now they've brought him on board in LA.
Message to defensive specialists: if you want to join the Lakers, show that you're willing to stand up to Kobe. You probably won't win the battle, but you will at least gain the respect of the league's most feared alpha dog.
Are more rings in store for LA? Between yesterday's addition of Barnes and defensive stalwart Theo Ratliff, not to mention the prior signing of Steve Blake and return of Derek Fisher, it's hard to say the Lakers aren't the favorites despite the cheesy glee flowing from Miami.
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