Lakers Rumors: Matt Barnes Should Start over Devin Ebanks

When new Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown announced that Metta World Peace would come off the bench this season, it created a void in the Lakers' starting lineup.

A void that was thought to go to forward Matt Barnes, but Brown announced that youngster Devin Ebanks could get the nod instead.

That could ultimately be a mistake.

While Ebanks is younger and more athletic and has impressed so far in camp, Barnes is a proven commodity that the Lakers can use effectively.

Barnes was very effective for the Lakers a season ago before hurting his knee. He's completely recovered from that knee surgery and has appeared to be in good shape at camp.

He's proven his ability to rebound, run the floor effectively, move the ball, defend well one-on-one and knock down open jumpers.

If Brown is bringing World Peace off the bench, having a guy like Barnes in the starting lineup helps a team that relies on defense and doing the little things. He's a veteran and is tough at both ends of the floor.

Ebanks is a nice player and has much more upside, but for the time being Barnes makes much more sense. The loss of Lamar Odom is a big one and Barnes can help fill a little of that lost production.

If later in the season Ebanks is clearly making the bigger impact then it makes sense to ease him into the starting lineup. To begin the season, though, Barnes has done enough in his career to earn the first crack.