Ailene Voisin: Barnes' career has taken a downward turn

OAKLAND – Matt Barnes doesn't understand it, so he certainly can't explain it. He loses his mother after a three-month battle with cancer – days before her 50th birthday – and four months later, after grieving and beginning to recover emotionally, finds his promising career with the Golden State Warriors skidding to a halt.

No minutes against Houston.

Seven minutes against the Lakers on Sunday.

Three minutes against the Lakers on Monday.

Barnes, the former Del Campo standout, studies the stat sheets and stares forlornly into a future that, he suspects, will resume elsewhere next season.

"I'm assuming there are other teams out there that will be interested," he said before the Lakers outlasted the Warriors in a 123-119 overtime shootout, "so I'm hoping somehow to get back out there to help the team. This is the toughest thing I've ever experienced. I think about my mom all the time, of course, but I have been dealing with that. I just don't know what happened with basketball."

A year ago, as the Warriors embarked on their wildly improbable playoff run, Barnes became a rotation player for the first time in his pro career. He emerged as one of Don Nelson's favorites, a gangly 6-foot-7, 220-pound swingman who provided playmaking and perimeter shooting, energy and effort, and whose steals and deflections epitomized the undersized club's dramatically improved defense.

Then came the offseason, and a fateful financial decision. Then came the exhibition season, and Ann Barnes' terminal illness. Then came the onslaught of competition, first from Mickael Pietrus, and more recently, from long-armed rookie Brandan Wright. Now comes this: the nightly struggle to remain relevant and replicate last year's career-best averages of 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

"Like I told Matt," Nelson explained, "two people are playing better than him right now (Pietrus and Wright). He played ahead of these guys for three-quarters of the season. I gave him every opportunity, and tried to be fair."

Asked to cite specific areas where Barnes' performance has deteriorated, the coach paused. "There isn't one thing you could say he's not doing. He just did everything better last year."

Barnes' personal and professional lives were supposed to converge differently, of course. After playing briefly for the Kings, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia, and spending 2002-2003 with Fayetteville in the NBA Development League, he had come to regard the Warriors as extended family. His parents, Ann and Henry, who lived in Fair Oaks, rarely missed a home game. His late-season success also left him envisioning a long-term future in Northern California, though admittedly, on his own, more lucrative terms.

In a decision that now appears questionable at best, he rejected the security of a three-year offer, opting instead for a one-year agreement (at just more than $3 million) and free agency in the upcoming offseason.

"I just thought that I would have another breakthrough year, set myself up, and really be in command for the first time in my career," Barnes said glumly. "It's been the exact opposite."

He insists he is the same person, the same player. He wonders what would happen with more consistent opportunities. He says friends, relatives and teammates are encouraging him to keep up his spirits, and with his mood lightening momentarily, reminds that Nelson is known for changing his mind and tinkering with his lineups. Besides, who knows what will transpire as the Warriors stretch for the playoffs, with the Western Conference continuing to resemble a group hug?

"I just hope I have a chance to contribute," said Barnes. "My whole career has been a series of one-year contracts, so I should be used to this."

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• Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.