The team said Thursday that Barnes sustained the injury against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. He's expected to miss at least two weeks.
Barnes is averaging 5.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in eight games. The Clippers played at Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
Last week, the NBA fined Barnes $25,000 for failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected in a game against Oklahoma City and using inappropriate language on Twitter.
NO ALPHA DOG
This question has percolated through NBA circles for years: Can Carmelo Anthony lead a title team?
We're all well aware Anthony is one of the NBA's foremost scorers, but can he lead a team to an NBA championship? The answer was clear when Anthony played for the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference. His team made it to the Western Conference finals once in eight years. Now, as the leader of the Knicks, it appears Anthony is on the same tract.
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via ProBasketballTalk) asked four NBA executives if Anthony could be the focal point of a championship team, and here is what one executive had to say:
“I love him as a player. I just don’t think he’s your alpha male. He can’t be your No. 1 guy. He’s kind of like Clyde Drexler. As the alpha male in Portland, Clyde never got over the top. But when he went to Houston and was the No. 2 guy to Hakeem Olajuwon, he won… I would love to have him as a second guy. But as your alpha male? He’s not going to win anything like that. He’s kind of like the 2013 version of Stephon Marbury. He’s not as bad as Stephon, but he’s got Steph tendencies.”
The opinion on Anthony as an alpha dog is valid, but it should be pointed out that Drexler ran into Michael Jordan as the main player for the Portland Trail Blazers. When he played as No. 2 for the Rockets, Jordan was off playing baseball.
It's tough to have Anthony as your best player, because he plays with singular focus. He can score in multiple ways, but his ability is geared toward scoring.
There's also the subject of defense. In critical moments, the Miami Heat's LeBron James is willing to take on the other team's best player. He's done so on several occasion, shutting down players from Al Jefferson to Derrick Rose. To be clear, the height range between Jefferson and Rose is 6-foot-10 and 6-foot-3, respectively, and James is 6-foot-8.
Anthony has never been known for defense, and several of his teammates share the same approach. The current Knicks roster is not built to win a title with Anthony, and it certainly can't contend without Anthony.
CARTER: HOWARD A 'CRYBABY'
Vince Carter and Dwight Howard have a relationship outside of the NBA.
Both players are Orlando residents, were teammates on the Magic and even compete in pick-up games together in the summer.
That said, Carter believes Howard is the biggest "cry baby" he's seen in basketball. He was as blunt as possible in describing Howard's complaining to ESPNDallas.com.
“All the time,” Carter said of Howard’s complaining to referees. “He always talks about how I’m a crybaby. I was like, ‘Yo, you’re the biggest crybaby I know.’ And then later, he’s like, ‘Yo, why’d you say that to me?’ But I know Dwight. It’s all good, but he is [a crybaby].
“I mean, he takes a lot of punishment, but I’m like, ‘Yo, c’mon Dwight, c’mon. You elbowed, you’re sitting in the paint the entire time. What are you whining about?’ He told me to stop crying. I was like, ‘What? Are you serious?’”
Numbers support Carter's claims. Howard has been one of the NBA's leaders in technical fouls, and his latest was a doozy.
BENNETT BOOS
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anthony Bennett has been the source of much discussion for all the wrong reasons.
The surprise No. 1 pick has endured trouble returning from a shoulder, appearing out of rhythm and basketball shape to start his NBA career.
On Wednesday night, Bennett picked the wrong time to rear his struggles. Cavaliers fans were frustrated with the team's effort against the Washington Wizards, who led by as much as 27 points.
And, when Bennett shot a 3-pointer that missed all construction, the Cavaliers fans let him have it, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
There was definitely built-up frustration in this release of boos toward Bennett, both toward Bennett and a Cavaliers team expected to make a playoff push. Neither Bennett nor the Cavaliers are in a place of no return, but they're not in a good place, either.
Bennett's flaws are the easiest to point out. He's averaging 1.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in what currently stands as one of the worst-ever starts for a No. 1 pick. The numbers become worse when you consider Bennett has made only five field goals in 10 games and maintains a player-efficiency rating of 0.91.
Bennett has a long way to go, but so do the Cavaliers. They've tinkered with their lineups after a week of turmoil, which included rumors of a contentious players-only meeting. Frustration is starting to set in, as was evident from the words of coach Mike Brown and veteran Jarrett Jack.
“One through 15, we all have to get control now,” Jarrett Jack told the Akron Beacon Journal, “or we’re going to lose control of this before it’s too late.”
Jack was part of a late-game rally that helped the Cavaliers end their night with a respectable 98-91 loss. He doesn't take any solace in that, though, and Brown would rather see consistent effort than rallies.
“We didn’t compete. We had one guy compete the entire time he was on the floor — Matthew Dellavedova,” Brown said, “I’m going to find guys who are going to play hard.”
Contributors: DeAntae Prince, The Associated Press
