Matt Barnes: "We Need Better Bigs"

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=9275303

Great short interview. Love how he had the balls/honesty to flat out say we need new, tougher bigmen on our team.

The days of pure finesse are giving way to the MMA style of hoops,,guess that is where we have go too, only way to compete

Matt seems to be the voice of Clipper Nation

Sorry to break it to you but the title is deceiving. Barnes never said "better bigs", he said "some more bigs" to help deal with the Grizz bigs. Good catch on the interview though.

By the way, Barnes also said VDN did a good job managing the players and good job on putting this together quick.

He was asked what roster improvements we need and said "we need more bigs"... I basically paraphrased what was clearly implied. He mentioned getting tougher which also obviously was related to the bigs considering they were the soft ones in the series.

Maybe it could be interpreted more as "bigger bigs". Odom is not really big, neither is Turiaf, and while tall, Hollins gets pushed around. Blake was probably the strongest guy in the post for the team and he can barely contest shots.

Yea it's crazy how good on PAPER our frontcourt looked before the season and how versatile it looked.. but against the best frontcourt in the NBA it got exposed BADLY.

You really think he meant we need more bigs than the 5 on the roster?! Lol C'mon, he meant better, he was being a little PC.

tougher bigmen on our team???

we need someone to take on Gasol better??

yup i think barnes and cp3 are trying recruit .....DH12 :O lol

Maybe he meant Zach Randolph? That guy IS a beast.

I disagree but no worries. In my opinion, it wasn't clear or obvious. After the comment, he mentioned that we threw everything at them which can mean we need better role playing bigs. I don't think he means we should get rid of his best man at his wedding or BG.

"we need better bigs" implies we need to take out the old and bring in the new.

Well I apologize if misleading. I think he mentioned "we did all we could" after because he doesn't want to flat out throw these teammates he likes under the bus but from my personal perspective of reading between the lines it feels pretty clear what he meant. Maybe I'm wrong though.

You are aware that DJ and BG are the only bigs still under contract? lol c'mon.

So true....

Yes I'm aware, pretty he was saying 'what we need in comparison to last season'. Not at the start of FA.

I'm pretty sure he was talking about last season. So couldn't he mean we need more bigs, just not the ones from last season that are no longer under contract?

THAT'S WHAT I SAID DUDE! I'm saying he wouldn't say "more" if he didn't think we needed to let some go. Wether that's the 3 FAs or DJ, he left that up for interpretation to be politically correct, but he's definitely not cool with keeping all the bigs we had and adding more!

OK, fair enough. I thought you were talking about our starters for some reason.

Blake is underrated as a "tough guy". Other than that, the Clippers have no one when it comes to tough, EFFECTIVE bigs. Imagine if Blake was paired up with a Tyson Chandler or Roy Hibbert. DJ is soft Odom doesn't even count as a big man, and Turiaf/Hollins... Are you kidding me? Matt Barnes is spot on.

Our backup bigs play like backup bigs, they did a decent job compared to other backup bigs. We woudn't need "more bigs" if our starting center wasn't such utter crap.

Yea it's honestly more reflective of Blake's and DJ's shortcomings because as already mentioned... backup centers aren't exactly important.

How is Blake a tough guy? When ZBO had him on the ground, Blake looked scared to death.

I would be scared also If a 400lb fat f*ck was about to crush my organs and have Crisco seeping from his pores onto my already sweaty flesh.

ZBO was mad. You could hear him yelling, I ATE THE BONES... I ATE THE BONES

BG was hurt and you honestly think Barnes wants DJ gone? Your quote implies that he wants better bigs other than the ones we have.

you honesty think Barnes who isn't a Clipper wants the best man at his wedding gone for some better big? I don't buy it for a second.

by the way, if Barnes means what you say he does, he shouldn't be talking, he showed up for one game in the series. Plus, he's not a Clipper to be talking like that...If he means what you say he does.

Are you suggesting DJ IS tough??????????????????/

I'll have to say that I wasn't sold on the front-court at any point in time. I wanted Andersen over Hollins and felt there was still no shooting, knew Hollins and Turiaf couldn't rebound, wasn't enough defense or size (wanted Aaron Gray for that), so I can't really say I was surprised outside of Blake getting hurt and playing below average and DJ sucking massively offensively.

My off-season hope was something like Aaron Gray and Chris Andersen last season as there were no real big shooters available and in the Clippers price range. Both guys that can rebound and defend (Gray, sorta), and one bulky dude, and another more mobile dude.

Ahahaha I seriously just laughed out loud picturing that.

Barnes got his marriage certificate in Vegas at the Little White Chapel, DJ was there as a witness. I think it was over the summer, his wife said she didn't want to do anything big.

Plus that was before DJ laid a turd for the 12-13 season and a double turd in the playoffs.

You seriously think Matt was critiquing the backups who make the minimum? Because they weren't good enough, that's why we lost and that's why we need more? Already have 5, but we need more?

...I didn't know it was Ronnie and Ryans fault we lost... we need the best backup bigs out there now, we'll win for sure....if only we had more backup bigs, because DJ was awesome like always...

Yes he's tough. Everybody get calls but him. He gets clobbered every night. The refs let Zbo open a can of whupass and say nothing. Zbo was choking Blake and they call A DOUBLE FOUL. Zbo should have been ejected. Did Blake foul him by hitting him in the hand with his neck? We've seen scores of pics of Zbo clotheslining him, hooking him etc and he never gets called. If BG did that he'd get a flagrant. The refs hate us

That reminds me of when I tried my hand at boxing. I mastered the art of blocking a left jab with my face. Works every time

BG did elbow ZBo's head to the ground before the choke out though and held it there lol

griffin just doesnt have the temper that someone like myself has, where you stop giving a F*** and you just punch someone in the face, especially if they do some of the s*** that ZBLOW was doing. to say BG is scared ClipperDB is far from true. he got up from that choke, and only did not attack ZBLOW because his teammates and the refs got in the way. had this been hockey, ZBLOW would have gotten knocked out with an elbow to the head.

don''t misunderstand, i root for Blake and wouldn't want anyone else on our team but i think he could be tougher. I want him to go to MMA with Barnes, Kobe, and Metta. I did not see one strong, get-out-of-my-way, dunks from Blake the whole series. He had opportunities but I noticed he wasn't as agressive going to the hoop. Why, because zbo took his agressiveness. I know he was hurt the last 2 games so I'm not counting them. But MMA would give Blake more confidence.

^ mma wouldnt give him any confidence, since u cant use submissions, leg kicks,knees, elbows, punches and take downs in the nba, especially if you play for the clippers. you can if you are allowed impunity like ZBLOW and the rest of the grizzlies have been allowed to play with. by the way, most nba players who "train" mma dont really train or spar. they do it for the anaerobic and aerobic workout.

We need Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap

imagine if this team kept kmart and reggie. Then still got barnes in the off season. Oh me oh my! That would have been the real goon squad coming off the bench

We probably go 7 again with Memphis and win

Yup, basketball before the 2000s sure did suck.

Sarcasm. Pre-2000s > 2000s