The Los Angeles Lakers' Matt Barnes is hoping for a fresh start in the 2011-12 season, with a healthy knee, new coach and new system to look forward to.
Last season, the forward struggled to pick up the triangle offense and missed 26 games because of right knee surgery. According Yahoo! Sports, Barnes tested his surgically repaired knee Thursday in the San Francisco Bay Area Pro-Am League for the first time since the season ended.
?My legs feel it the most,? Barnes told Yahoo!. ?Some shots at the end of the game I felt flat. Overall, after taking [nearly three months] off, and it?s my first time playing, it?s not too bad.?
After returning from his injury, Barnes had a tough time on the court and only averaged 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 13.1 minutes per game in the playoffs. He said last season was tough, especially the Lakers? 4-0 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs.
?It was the hardest thing I?ve been through in my life ? to finally be a Laker, not being able to contribute,? Barnes said in the report. ?That?s not to say we would have won. But I know I could?ve helped out as far as physicality, defense, rebounding, toughness and knocking down shots. That?s all the things I could do and not being able to be out there killed me.?
Barnes admitted to Yahoo! that new coach Mike Brown will have ?a lot of things stacked against? him. But he also believes the coach will benefit from having a team with something to prove. He told Yahoo! the team has a ?huge chip? coming into next season.
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