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Remember the face that former Suns forward Matt Barnes made when a 3-point shot went in and out? It said, "Just missed it."

That expression would describe how he feels about watching the Suns winning and having fun while playing an uptempo style.

"I definitely miss being there," said Barnes, who signed with Orlando after Phoenix did not try to re-sign him. "I miss it when I see them scoring 120-something a night. That's what I thought I was going to do last year."


Barnes signed with the Suns in 2008 with hopes of playing a fast, open system to accentuate his talents and stats. Instead, he was as unhappy with then-coach Terry Porter's ways as any Suns player. He was outspoken about how Porter's system did not fit.

As happy he is for his friends, Barnes admits being "bitter" about the Suns' about-face regarding their style of play.

"It's frustrating, very frustrating," Barnes said. "Everybody's talking about this team being old and doesn't have it. It's the same team we had last year, and now they lead the league in scoring, shooting and 3-point percentage. That's what I thought I was going into."

Barnes landed on his feet - with a winner and for more money (a two-year, $3.2 million deal). He received his second start Wednesday.

"I thought Shaq (O'Neal) and Amaré (Stoudemire) got attention, but Dwight (Howard) gets all five guys trying to stop him," Barnes said.

Barnes is happy with how things turned out but wishes there had been interest from the Suns after he averaged career highs in points (10.2) and rebounds (5.5) with them.

"Some things were said and done, but then when it came down to it this summer, they showed absolutely no interest," Barnes said. "I'm a new guy, and we don't even make the playoffs. I can see from a business standpoint that I'm expendable.

"That first half of the season, with Porter trying to change everything, put a (damper) on my season and the team's. Getting Alvin (Gentry) back at the end was great. No disrespect to Porter, it was just the wrong coach and the wrong system."

MaryvalesFinest wrote:Where are the Barnes haters now?

Never Fear 33 Is Here wrote:Never have been a fan and doubt I ever will be, I for two am glad he is no longer with us.

lilfishi22 wrote:I liked Barnes. He had poor shot selection and sometimes tried to do too much with the ball, but I liked his versatility. He sorta filled out that Boris Diaw, point-forward, role. I thought his defense was underrated as well. It wasn't All-Defense or anything, but his hustle, length and tenacity really helped us on the perimeter.

I had hoped we could resign him, but knew it was very unlikely.