The Feeling Is Mutual, Matt: Barnes Proclaims His Love For The Los Angeles Clippers

Don't really know where to start.. Although I'm from Nor Cal LA has raised me, from coming here at 17 to attend UCLA on to pros.... It was a dream come true the first time I put that LAKER uniform on & step on the purple & gold court.. But wat might hv been just as amazing as playing for the Lakers was being a small part of helping a historically bad franchise become one of the best franchises & teams in the league! I took ALOTA pride in that because I felt when I came in the league I was the "clippers" so to speak.. Doubted passed over & not really spoken about.. Now hate me □or love me ima household name & the clips are a force to be dealt with! I came here a boy & I'm leaving as a man! You've seen the Good times & the Bad, never claimed or tried to be perfect but wat i did try to do is ALWAYS STAY REAL & TRUE TO MYSELF!! The one thing you can't deny is every time I stepped on the court I left absolutely EVERYTHING out there! I think I know better than anyone "This is a business" so you can NEVER get your heart involved, but I can't lie, this shit hurts for a lot of different reasons.. As my run in LA has come to an end I wanna thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the LOVE, SUPPORT & $h!t even the hate, all of that has made me THE MAN I AM 2day!! To Live in Die in LA it's the place to be □□ hahaa YALL take care & #THANKYOULA

A photo posted by matt_barnes9 (@matt_barnes9) on Jul 29, 2015 at 3:55pm PDT

So often in sports players feel slighted by decisions that are strictly business driven. It's good to see that Matt Barnes cherishes being a part of something bigger in transforming the Clippers into a formidable team, without holding any grudges towards how his tenure with the organization ended. Let's be honest, if there was someone to blame for Barnes ending up in Memphis, it's Spencer Hawes. When a team offers to take the world's tallest anchor off your roster under the condition that they also get the expiring contract of Matt Barnes then you have no choice but to comply. No matter how much Matt Barnes brought to the table in terms of personality, toughness, and three point shooting, it's a small price to play to unload the biggest abortion of a free agent acquisition in recent memory. Regardless, with the moves that the Clippers made over this offseason, Matt Barnes departure may not be noticeable on the the stat sheet, but it very well could be noticeable in the team's attitude. Like him or hate him, and that generally depends on whether he plays for your team or not, Matt Barnes is the kind of player that every coach loves. A player who will literally do anything to win. The player that doesn't need touches, but is very effective when he gets them. The player that stands up for his teammates and doesn't stop hustling. It's easy to say that this offseason has been a positive one, but it would be a disservice to a guy that put his heart into being a Clipper not to acknowledge that the Memphis Grizzlies got a hell of a bench player this summer. 

Oh, and he's still going to foul the shit out of DeAndre. I wouldn't expect any less...

Wanna wish my lil RICHASS bro @deandrejordan6 a happy bday!! I told you right when I got to the clippers you were a 100mil player!! To watch you grow over the past three seasons has been amazing!! Crazy part is your just scratching the surface.. You have a chance to be great!! Stay heathy, stay focused & stay humble!! I'm proud you, I feel like your my 3rd son.. Isaiah Cater & DJ lol Love you bro! Wait I almost 4got..ima foul the shitouta you when we play yall.. U gonna hv to earn All That $$ from the foul line against us!! Hahaaa□ #URBIGHOMIE

A photo posted by matt_barnes9 (@matt_barnes9) on Jul 21, 2015 at 4:27pm PDT