Matt Barnes was anticipating nothing but great things at this time a year ago. He was coming off a superb playoff run with the Golden State Warriors, and the vagabond forward felt he finally was within reach of finding a long-term home.
A few months later, with the season getting under way, his world collapsed. His 52-year-old mother, Ann, died of cancer, and Barnes went through a difficult 2007-08 campaign.
The free-agent forward, 28, signed a one-year deal with the Suns on Tuesday, and he hopes new surroundings and a fresh start with his sixth NBA team will re-energize his career. He signed for $1.2 million, but the Suns are responsible for only $797,000, with the rest coming from a league fund.
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Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said he sympathized with the difficult circumstances surrounding Barnes. He said that, along with his willingness to turn down more money elsewhere because of his desire to play in Phoenix, shows a lot about his character.
The 6-foot-7, 226-pound Barnes played two years for the Warriors and has averaged 6.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in his career with Golden State, New York, Philadelphia, Sacramento and the Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 6.7 points in 2007-2008 and described the season as an emotional rollercoaster.
"My mother was my best friend," he said. "She was diagnosed with cancer November 1, and she died the 27th of November. So that process was really tough, and I kind of had to be the backbone for my family, and still at the same time, the crazy thing about it was the whole time my mother was sick, she's like, 'You need to get back out on the court, you need to be with your team.'
"I couldn't really grasp that, because losing my mom was losing my best friend, so it was a tough situation."
Barnes tried his best to work through the pain, but he eventually landed a seat at the end of coach Don Nelson's bench.
He said he learned a lot about himself during that period, especially on how to take things in stride.
"I was pretty much under the weather the whole season, just as far as missing my mom and trying to deal with basketball and the rest of my family," he said. "I got counseling with a family counselor (after the season) and really got my feelings out and talked about it.
"I'm at peace at where she's at now, and what she's doing, and I know she's watching down, so now I'm ready to get back out there and not duplicate but go a little bit further with what I did a couple of years ago."
Despite having only a one-year deal, Barnes is confident that things will work out, adding he can see himself finishing his career with the Suns and "winning a few titles."
"I've always been hungry, because my career has been a one-year deal," he said. "When I'm out there, I'm going to play 100 percent, no matter what."
Barnes is valued as a versatile player on both ends of the court. He's known for being able to get under an opponent's skin, which he considers part of his job description.
"Anything I can do to mentally distract somebody, kind of take away their focus from what they need to do, is a good job," he said.
