NBA News 2015: Grizzlies' Matt Barnes Suspended After Being Involved In Brawl
Memphis Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes has been slapped with a two-game suspension after being involved in an altercation with New York Knicks coach and former Los Angeles Laker Derek Fisher.
In a report by ESPN, the incident happened on October 3rd, at a party in Barnes' ex-wife Gloria Govan's home in Los Angeles. Barnes' supposed reason for being there was to check on his twin sons.
The report adds that one of the twins told him that "Mommy's friend Derek is here." In another report by Yahoo! Sports, a physical altercation between Fisher and Barnes then ensued. Both men had been good friends and were teammates during their respective stints with the Lakers from 2010 to 2012.
According to NBA officials, the investigation on the incident has been closed and no charges were filed, despite the response of policemen during the said night.
Barnes will be serving his suspension on Tuesday, when the Grizzlies play against the Miami Heat, and on Saturday, when they play against the Utah Jazz. He is expected to lose around $64,000 of his salary due to the suspension.
In the current NBA regular season, Barnes is averaging 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, through 25.6 minutes of playing time.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns decided to let go of two of their assistant coaches. In a report by NBA.com, Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting were let go by the team management, mainly due to the Suns' lackluster performance in the season, so far.
The Suns currently hold a below average win-loss slate so far with 12-21 and is situated at the number 12 spot of the Western Conference standings. They lost 15 of their last 20 games.
The report adds that former NBA D-League coach Nate Bjorkgren was bumped up to replace Longabardi as the team's defensive coordinator, while assistant Earl Watson was promoted to bench coach.
