Los Angeles Lakers Forward Matt Barnes Plays Enforcer in Summer League

Word on the streets of San Francisco today suggests new Laker Matt Barnes is already serving notice to the league, or at the very least to opposing coaches:

Don't mess with me unless you're ready for a fight.

According to reports out of the San Francisco Bay Area Pro-Am Summer Basketball League, the Santa Clara native's fiery nature got the best of him on Monday night when, while playing for the Dream Team, he got twisted up in a heated exchange with SF City assistant coach Rick Lewis.  The exchange resulted in a double-technical, as Barnes had to be pulled off the court to cool his head.

What caused the flare-up in the first place is as yet unreported.  The scarcity of details relating to the encounter, however, hasn't stopped rumors from circulating.

On the contrary, the mystery surrounding the events of Monday night has likely stoked the flames of speculation, with some gossip suggesting that there may have been some physical contact involved.

Regardless of what actually happened on that fateful night, it's clear that Barnes is already sharpening his focus for a title run in Los Angeles.  And for a player like Barnes, who is well known for his tenacity and intensity on the court, irrespective of the score or the greater context, perhaps this news shouldn't come as a total surprise.

It's those qualities that brought Barnes to the Lakers, that piqued Kobe Bryant's interest in him as one of the few players in the NBA with the machismo and the gall to even attempt to get under Kobe's skin (with mixed results).

It's that competitive fire that will help him transform the Lakers' bench from arguably the greatest weakness of last year's squad into a bona fide strength for the upcoming season, with a three-peat on the line.

Granted, it's a bit ridiculous to be confronting the opposing team's assistant coach at any time, much more so during a summer league game attended by children who, according to Comcast Sports Net Bay Area, "flood the bleachers at every stoppage of play...steal the game ball from the officials and hurl it toward the basket with the pure joy that comes from playing a game you love."

There's no doubt that Barnes loves the game; he wouldn't play with such passion if he didn't, even if it was the most important game of his career.  There's a pretty good shot that at least one of his many tattoos is dedicated to his love of the game.

And it certainly bodes well for the Purple and Gold that their latest acquisition takes every game he plays so seriously, that he pours his heart and soul into his play whenever and wherever he plays, ridiculous as his latest scuffle may have been.  Better that he leave it all on the court for every game than take nights off.

Because as Lakers fans and NBA observers have seen, and players and coaches know all too well, repeating is hard and three-peating is even harder, especially if such requires a fourth consecutive Finals appearance to do so.  The grind of another campaign to the top for LA is bound to be riddled with subpar performances and "nights off" from individual players and the team as the Lakers wind their way through the calendar to June. 

Adding a player of Barnes' ferocity should help to keep things interesting, at the very least, if not inject some adrenaline and breathe some fresh air into a roster full of players whose weariness after three long seasons nearly rivals its collective talent.  Like last season's addition of Ron Artest, the arrival of yet another head case should keep things exciting around the asylum known formally as the Staples Center.

Whether Barnes goes off on Phil Jackson during a game is anyone's guess, though the Zen Master is well known for his calming influence and ability to handle volatile players, so such a confrontation shouldn't be too much of a concern to Lakers Nation.

Perhaps of greater concern to LA is whether Matt Barnes will have anything left in his "Passion Bucket," as UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel would say, once the season rolls around. 

That won't likely be a problem, even after Barnes unleashed his fury on the Bay Area Pro-Am League, with two and a half months left until the first meaningful game tips off to recharge his batteries and redirect his aggressive energy toward his latest ring-chasing endeavor.

Of course, if Barnes ever needs his "Passion Bucket" refilled, he'll be within driving distance of his old stomping grounds in Westwood.  Let's just hope he doesn't go picking fights with the Bruin bear.