Harrison Barnes
The Warriors and Harrison Barnes would both benefit from a split.
YEAH I SAID IT!!!
There is no middle ground with Harrison Barnes anymore: either you hate him and he’s the worst basketball player ever or he’s a future star. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he’s not either of those things.
Barnes is tricky to assess. One on hand, he has all the tools to be a good player. He has great size, durability, can defend multiple positions, and (generally) has a solid shooting stroke. He’s young and athletically gifted. He’s a world champion and a starter for a team that won 73 games.
But Harry B’s disappearing act would make Harry Houdini shed a tear like a proud father.
He was absolutely awful during the NBA Finals. There’s no way around it. While Steph Curry didn’t play up to his standards, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Barnes hits his open shots and Golden State still loses. The Cavaliers trapped Curry and Thompson, put the ball in Barnes’ hands, and said “here Harrison, beat us” and he couldn’t.
He’s inconsistent and hasn’t shown any growth over his four year career, unlike Thompson and Green. He hasn’t elevated his game and you can only ride the “potential” projections for so long. Barnes is in a perfect situation for him and he’s still failing to seize the opportunity.
We put up a piece earlier in the day about how the Warriors should turn to Barnes if Durant signs elsewhere. I’m going to disagree. Only if all else fails, then and only then should Golden State retain Barnes. In the working world, it’s hard to be pleased with a co-worker getting paid a lot more than you are for doing a fraction of the work. That’s what would happen in Golden State. Barnes does not deserve to be the Warriors’ highest paid player and it’s hard to justify giving him what he wants.
Harrison Barnes should only be a Golden State Warrior if there is absolutely no one else left. Even then, it might be better to part ways.