fightinags2013 said:
I think the Mavs would be pretty darn good right now if Barnes was their third best player. This is assuming the rest of the roster had a couple of good role players.
Imagine in a few years if DSJ is up to a Damian Lillard level (which isn't unreasonable), we have a decent big that can protect the paint and finish on a pick & roll (Bamba in 2 years?), and a prime Barnes. That could be a good 3 man punch. Plus Carlisle. Not bad...
Got me thinking about how many teams where Barnes would be the 3rd or 4th best player right now.
Guess it depends on how good you think Barnes is. But he would not be the second best player on a single playoff team in the West. He would be the third best on some and the 4th best on some (what teams he's 3rd/4th on depends on how high you rank him). I also don't think he'd be second best player in any playoff team in the east.
He's a decent iso scorer and I love his attitude. But he's not a playmaker and doesn't do much to make teammates better (penetration, playmaking, assists, etc). So it's hard to be good if he's your second best player.