Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  79 responses

Lamar Odom Calls Matt Barnes ‘a Monkey’

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Things got testy between the Lakers and Magic yesterday in Orlando, as the home team walked away with a hard-fought victory. Afterward, the salty Lakers were asked for their thoughts on Matt Barnes — who had gotten into it time and again with Kobe Bryant.

Bryant predictably laughed off the Magic’s defensive stopper, but teammate Lamar Odom did not hesitate to express how he truly felt about Barnes.

Taking a page out of Rick Ross’s rhyme book, Odom called a Matt Barnes a monkey. The OC Register asked L.O. for some clarification on the diss:

Odom yelled out that Barnes was “a monkey,” adding: “He picked the right game to act tough.” Later, after most reporters had left him, I asked Odom for clarification on that “monkey” comment. Odom said it referenced rapper Rick Ross calling 50 Cent “a monkey” in their rivalry.

“That’s an inside joke,” Odom said. “The rappers that are feuding with each other, Rick Ross and 50 Cent … they’re feuding with each other. That’s an inside joke with this team. Matt Barnes is a cool dude. If I call him a monkey, I don’t mean it. If I call him a superhero or a wrestling figure, I don’t mean it.

“He did what he had to do. He played a great game. He got the crowd involved. Basketball’s entertaining, as well. He did a great job for his team today.”

All’s fair in love and war, and basketball mini-feuds.

For his part, Barnes was cool and collected following the game, and local reporters were praising his play and demanding that the Magic give him a raise, and soon. Following his performance yesterday, the front-office in Orlando might not have any other choice.

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  • jumpman3224

    thanks meloMan2.0! will do.

  • jumpman3224

    I just watched it. TBrothers did give it to Howard apparently for saying something about a foul on his shot miss. I was surprised though because Barnes did the same exact thing he did early when he and Kobe got double technicals.

  • Silverselectjd

    @LA Huey why can’t he get props for not flinching? its human nature to flinch when something comes fast toward your face, and to not flinch when a guy your doing battle with puts the ball within millimeters from your face at pace, thats worthy of the same props as not reacting by smacking the guy in the mouth

  • http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:OzhW3M1GBSKkgM:http://fashionsensei.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/jackie-moon.jpg Jackie Moon

    The five buck box, it rocks

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    Lamar doesnt realize that Cop Boss Ross lost the beef to Curley? God i hate all of them.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    you people hop from d!ck to d!ck like tarzan (not cooper) used to swing from tree vines. 1 second we all hate Kobe and want to do him in, the next we wonder how someone steps to a boss the way Matt Barnes did. Just saying.

  • http://idunkonthem.blogspot.com/ albie1kenobi

    for those who don’t know or forget, matt barnes was played the exact same way for the warriors during their 07 playoff run, and he was instrumental to the teams’ success. he established his presence every time he was on the floor, whether it’s an athletic play in the lane, an energy play on the offensive board or on defense, or draining 3′s. he was probably just as “gangsta” as stack jax. you know you are balling when the warriors management decide to not keep you (see: every single player who blossom after leaving the warriors). also loved that JVG said he’d take his chance with barnes open for 3′s, and barnes drained the clutch 3 the next time down the floor.

  • deafshooter

    People! Matt Barnes may be dirty but if you watch the reaply of when Barnes dunks and his legs come close, Kobe shoves him and then when Barnes landed Kobe gave him another shove that wasn’t needed. What was annoying was the Howard- Gasol play fight. The two of them are wrestling and people say Howard should have gotten the T. Quite frankly, if you give them both T’s its equal. Did Gasol get called for a flagrant foul? oh yeah the highlight of the night has to be Odom screwing up his dunk! XD

  • Papa Smurf

    albie1kenobi has the best line on here:

    “you know you are balling when the warriors management decide to not keep you ”

    I’m still laughing.

  • T-Money

    Phoenix never pays. / Kobe is getting suspicious with the whole raising his arms thing and pretending nothing happened when in fact he often gives a little nudge to the guy. I ain’t mad though, take whatever you can get. / Did Kobe clearly see the ball fake? I just have a hard time picturing how can someone NOT flinch from that close unless he knew the ball fake was coming or didn’t really see the ball fake until it was done.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    That was a good game! Who gives a f*ck if a player is dirty? Matt Barnes was only doing what D Fish, Kobe, and LO do ALL THE TIME. That’s what the NBA needs more of–when you set a screen, f*ck somebody up! Be physical!

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Pau Gasol and Howard getting tangled up was great. Pau played the better game, too…

  • LA Huey

    @Silverselectjd, flinching is an associative reflex that is greatly influenced by a perceived threat. Kobe’s been rushed by Artest (who definitely has a rep to inspire a reflex) and we saw how he reacted. And remember Mamba’s response to getting effing clotheslined? I guess my comment was a reaction to everyone going bananas over his not giving an ish about Matt Barnes. It’s like if people were making several comments about how they were impressed about Kobe winning a game on a cherry-picked layup, considering that we’ve seen all the game-winning Js Mamba’s made….and as T-Money noted, did he even see it. Mamba was totally in a don’t-give-ish-stance.

  • ab_40

    LO got put on a poster by gortat and the only person he has back home is an it. After he left miami I lost most of the respect for him as a player that I had when he was a youngster with the clips. Him and Tmac were some of my favorite players growing up before that it was pip. but hey this was a great game. And can someone please check the lakers their record vs denver, orlando, boston and cleveland aka the contenders. Dallas is cool but their more like an atlanta a great team who kills in their confrence but is almost a certainty to be out of the playoffs in the second round of the playoffs. I don’t care how much tough juice brings to the table

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Kobe could care less about this overrated player, The warriors didn’t even want him no more. He is trying to make a name for himself, like Raja Bell did and lived on it for about three years after. Matt Barnes has never been talked about this much in the media. Even PTI started out with this crap. Barnes just costed his team, wait till they meet again. Trust me the NBA will fix him, and I promise you he fouls out next game. Kobe didn’t see Barnes as a threat, plus Kobe to me knew this guy was trying to make a name for himself. This will keep Barnes on the Orlando roster for two more years and he will now be consider a defensive stopper. Funny because he is a role player, that can’t play D.

  • rand33p

    not flinching = gangstER

  • Jon

    am i the only one who thinks mbenga is the only dude in the nba that looks like a monkey. no one else should be called that word (unless they physically look like the primape).

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the Balla

    Jamison suffers knee injury …

  • jerson

    f*** you odom

  • MikeC.

    I’m going into grumpy old man mode here, and I apologize to one and all if this comes off as dickish. Can all posters please check for grammar, spelling mistakes and typos before clicking ‘submit’? Misplaced punctuation, typos and spelling errors can undermine an excellent point, or completely change the intent of the point. I enjoy reading all the differing points of view here at SLAMONLINE, but the spelling and grammar errors drive me nuts(not to say that I’m perfect, there are almost certainly grammar errors in my own post). Understandably, there will be typos and missed commas during the heat of battle. Props to those who correct themselves(I see you Spaceship Jay @ 12:37). Let’s all take a few seconds to re-read our ports before we click ‘submit’. We don’t need poor grammar here. We’re all better than that.

  • http://Slamonline.com Cmonpeoples

    Ports???

  • http://Www.twitter.com Darksaber

    I don’t post “ports”.

  • therighttoremainsalient

    MikeC – Can I get you to go ahead and re-read your posts before you press submit? Thanks, yeah you didn’t leave a space between the word nuts and the bracket… your a hypocritical kobelover and you can understand easily what someones comment is inferring without having to get all english prof. up in here…

  • therighttoremainsalient

    …and the ‘ports’… epic. post. failure.

  • D12FSU

    someone said barnes cant play D…..THATS ALL HE DOES. I watch every magic game and Barnes has pretty much taken over courtney lee’s duties on the team…spot up 3 and guard teams best wing to start. Also, barnes is the only one on the magic who ever does an off the ball cut….seriously everyone else stands around the 3. That wasnt barnes’ best game as a magic, but it was certainly his most entertaining, and everyone here in orlando loved it

  • MikeC.

    Thanks for pointing out my own typos. I guess I made my own point for myself. I have to stop climbing up on my high horse when I’m drunk, and pay attention to my own idiot ramblings before I go off on someone else.

  • chintao

    First he marries the UGLY Kardashian, now this “monkey” business. It’s becoming difficult to justify my continued support for Lamar….

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » Lamar Odom Squashes Beef With Matt Barnes

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/6BPET45UBZQPK6ZJMBKZZTB5BI Zona

    I know that Lamar Ugly did not say that. Maybe he was looking at a picture of his wife.

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