January 31, 2008

Hornets.com and Hoop Magazine writer Jim Eichenhofer interviewed Golden State forward Matt Barnes for a recent article that appeared in Hoop, the NBA’s official magazine. The cover of the January/February issue of Hoop features Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.

Prior to his breakthrough 2006-07 season, when he helped spark the Warriors to a stunning upset over Dallas in the first round of the playoffs, Barnes had briefly considered giving the NFL a shot. He had grown frustrated by the stagnation of his NBA career, which included playing for four different teams in three seasons. The 6-foot-7 UCLA product was one of the nation’s top wide receivers as a high school senior.

Hornets.com: How serious were you when you said you would have pursued an NFL career if you hadn’t been signed by Golden State before the 2006-07 season?
Barnes: I was serious. I played football in high school, and it was really my best sport. I led the nation in touchdowns my senior year and ended up being recruited by every big (football) school in the country. My brother played Arena Football. Five or six NFL teams were calling me to see if I would try out (in the summer of 2006). But playing in the NFL is something I am probably going to just have to dream about now. I think I’m going to have to put that idea on the back burner.

I could have played football in college, but (playing basketball at) UCLA was always a dream of mine. (UCLA hoops coach Steve) Lavin didn’t want me to play both sports. In between my sophomore and junior year I worked out some with the football team a few times, but Lavs didn’t want me doing that. He told me that it might affect how much I played (in basketball), so I had to stop (practicing with UCLA football players).

Hornets.com: You had been traded and cut twice by NBA teams prior to coming to Golden State. Did you feel like all you needed was a chance to show what you could do in the NBA?
Barnes: Up to this point, I was always on the edge of being in the league or not. I thought my focus was to really make a name for myself and show that all the people who gave up on me were wrong. I did that (last season). There are a lot of players who have similar stories as mine, guys who went undrafted and had to work for everything they got. I felt like what I did, I also did for all of them. I wasn’t a lottery pick, but I can still play this game.

Hornets.com: Did you feel more confident playing for Golden State because it seemed like Don Nelson gave you free reign and told you to shoot if you’re open?
Barnes: From where I was coming from, knowing a coach has confidence in you, knowing if I don’t make the shot, I’m not going to come out – that was important. Nellie is OK with that. I knew I could miss three or four shots in a row, and I wasn’t going to come out of the game. Being able to go out there and play was great. If Nellie puts you on the court, he believes in your ability. That’s a player’s coach and that’s why everyone loves and respects Nellie.

Hornets.com: You were known as a defensive stopper but not a primary offensive option with your first four NBA teams. How do explain your major offensive improvement that resulted in you averaging double figures in the 2007 playoffs?
Barnes: When I played for Philadelphia (in 2005-06), I had a lot of down time because I wasn’t getting a lot of playing time. I changed my shot. Not playing there, I had a lot of time to practice it and fine-tune my shot. It was a real motivating factor for me, that I wanted to show that they made a mistake by not playing me.