Barnes receives plea deal for fight
Golden State Warriors forward Matt Barnes pleaded guilty for his involvement in a December nightclub brawl in New York City, but he will not be going to jail, according to TMZ.
Barnes, who just won an NBA title with the Warriors, was visiting the Avenue club with former Kings center DeMarcus Cousins when a fight broke out and Barnes bumped a woman near his VIP booth.
The woman claimed Barnes choked her. He said he was defending himself.
Barnes, 37, appeared in court Tuesday where he formally pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and in exchange he was sentenced to 10 days of community service, TMZ reported.
A civil lawsuit against Barnes and Cousins is still pending in court. In other NBA news: • Carmelo Anthony’s estranged wife, La La Vazquez, said the Knicks superstar’s “priority” is to remain close to their 10-year-old son, Kiyan. But ESPN reported that Anthony’s camp has tried to engage Knicks officials in buyout talks, only to be rebuffed.
Team president Phil Jackson has made it clear that the Knicks would like to move on from Anthony. They are rebuilding and going with a youth movement.
The Knicks are expected to continue to seek deals for Anthony even though he has a no-trade clause in his contract and can block any moves. Anthony has two years and $54 million remaining on his contract.