Warriors’ Matt Barnes calls Kings ‘enemy,’ wants to ‘beat them by 50’
When Matt Barnes was waived by the Kings in the aftermath of their trade with New Orleans, he told The Sacramento Bee that “it was a rude awakening.”
Picked up by Golden State, Barnes made it clear to media after Thursday’s practice that he’s hoping to deliver some payback Friday when the Warriors host the Kings.
“I’m trying to kill them, plain and simple,” Barnes told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Things didn’t go well there.”
Matt Barnes on facing his former team, Sacramento: "I’m trying to kill 'em. Simple. Things didn’t go well there. They’re the enemy now."
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) March 23, 2017
With the Kings, the former Del Campo High School star averaged 7.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25.3 minutes. In 11 games with the Warriors, he’s averaging 5.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 19.6 minutes.
Hear from @Matt_Barnes22 on fitting in with the squad, facing his former team & more.
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) March 23, 2017
Full Interview » https://t.co/qdnpkr296t pic.twitter.com/Be6PZ2UOL5
“It was frustrating because being back home and really taking pride in trying to put that team back on the map, and then just in a day’s time you’re no longer a part of the organization,” Barnes told The Bee’s Jason Jones after his release.
Kings general manager Vlade Divac said Barnes’ release was about wanting to develop younger players and was unrelated to his character.
On Thursday, Barnes said he hasn’t paid much attention to the Kings, who have gone 3-11 since his release.
“They’re the enemy now, so we’re trying to kill them,” he said. “Beat them by 50”
The season series favors the Warriors 2-1, with the Kings winning 109-106 in overtime on Feb. 4, and Golden State notching 117-106 and 109-86 victories on Jan. 8 and Feb. 15, respectively.
This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Warriors’ Matt Barnes calls Kings ‘enemy,’ wants to ‘beat them by 50’."