NBA Free Agent Update – Lakers sign Matt Barnes and Ratliff

If NBA bettors thought the free agent circus that took place this NBA betting offseason was over, the continued upheaval of more and more NBA players to ‘stacked’ teams shows no signs of stopping.

NBA Betting Odds:
NBA Championship Specials
LA Lakers To Win The 2010-11 NBA Championship
Yes (+300)
No (-500)

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LeBron and Bosh are teammates in Miami, Amare Stoudemire is in New York, Boozer is in Chicago, and Hornets’ all-star point guard Chris Paul recently indicated his interest in a trade to Orlando, New York, or the Lakers.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that NBA free agent veterans Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff have completed a deal with the reigning NBA champions, L.A. Lakers.

Barnes and Ratliff will join Steve Blake as the new kids on the block in L.A. to help the Lakers complete the three-peat in the 2010-11 NBA betting season.

Barnes returns back home to L.A. where he played his college ball at UCLA. The Lakers are his 8th NBA team and will most likely utilize him as a 6th man or role player.

Matt Barnes looks like he will be taking the place of Kobe’s backup Shannon Brown (who has yet to be signed by Los Angeles). The former UCLA Bruin started 58 games last season for Orlando and shot over 48% from the field while averaging 8.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG.

The most valuable part of Barnes’ game is his versatility on the defensive end with the ability to lock down small forwards and shooting guards. The 6’ 7” Barnes often frustrates opponents with his length and scrappy defensive mentality.

Theo Ratliff, meanwhile, was signed to bolster and add depth to a Lakers frontcourt that already includes a tandem of 7 footers in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Ratliff will backup Bynum and Gasol and will see limited playing time for Lakers in their 2010-11 NBA betting campaign.

Ratliff, a 15-year veteran, played 49 games last year with the Spurs and Charlotte Bobcats, showing he still has a bit left in the tank by starting 26 games with Charlotte, averaging 5.1 PPG and 1.54 blocked shots per game.

Apart from his backup center role for the defending champions, Ratliff was probably brought in to help mentor 22-year-old center Bynum on the defensive end.

Bynum is only averaging 1.5 blocks per game thus far in his NBA betting career compared to the 2.5 blocks per game average that Ratliff has posted during his.

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